A new year is often seen as a time for a new start, new beginnings, planning for the year ahead: making resolutions - lose weight, give up alcohol, veganuary; book a holiday; shop the sales for deals on the latest appliances and gadgets. It is often very aspirational and advertising plays on this 'new is better and you can have the Instagram lifestyle you deserve'. All of this is living life our own way - or the way that society thinks we should live and for many a new year is not a new start but a continuing struggle.
For many of our clients, new year is a difficult time with the expenses of Christmas stretching already stretched budgets, sales and special offers negative for those who use shopping as a form of comfort to escape from reality, gym ads and exhortations to become more healthy distressing for those suffering with chronic illness.
2 Corinthians 1: 3 - 7 (MSG)
3-5 All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.
6-7 When we suffer for Jesus, it works out for your healing and salvation. If we are treated well, given a helping hand and encouraging word, that also works to your benefit, spurring you on, face forward, unflinching. Your hard times are also our hard times. When we see that you’re just as willing to endure the hard times as to enjoy the good times, we know you’re going to make it, no doubt about it.
Rather than trying to do things our own way, we need to do life God's Way - putting our trust and faith into His hands. The life that Jesus shows us is one of love and service, He does not promise that it will be easy, but that it will be lovingly supported. Jesus comes alongside us in the dark times and fills them with the light of His love. And by going through the dark times, we are enabled to come alongside others going through their own dark times. It is not about putting your own dreams and aspirations first, but about sharing love and support with all those who we meet on the journey. Together, through God's love, we know that we are going to make it.
Please pray for our debt coaches and visit team, they they would have enjoyed rest and refreshment over the Christmas period and be ready to meet new clients and their different situations, and be ready to support existing clients and pray for the work of head office to move these cases forward.
Please pray for our new clients waiting for their first visits, that reaching out to CAP in the busyness of Christmas will be the first step in their journey out of debt and towards a new beginning. Please pray especially for S who regrets making the call to CAP and is unsure that she wants to go ahead with the first visit as she is embarrassed and ashamed by the situation that she is in and struggling to share that with others. Give thanks that she made the initial phone call for help and pray for the strength that she needs to welcome the team into her life.
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