Patience and Perseverance
Waiting for something can be frustrating, especially when it is something as life changing as the journey out of debt. For Ely and District CAP clients calling for help now, first visit appointments are having to wait into November and December. For those already on their CAP journey, there are waiting times at each stage of the journey - the busy time of finding paperwork that you may have hidden from yourselves and the hard truths that this can reveal, the time when the case is with the debt advisors in Bradford, working to find the best individual solution, the time from deciding on your debt solution and waiting for it to come into place. The debt journey can be longer than we may like, but the Ely and District team bring hope and patience with them and walk alongside for every step of the way.
Luke 13: 1 - 9 (NIV)
13 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
Jesus calls us to be patient, to continue to care and to nurture even when we can't see the fruit. It can be hard to use time and resources on something that doesn't seem to get anywhere, but we must remember that we don't know when the fruitful time may come, or may just be starting a longer path that will continue even if we don't see the results ourselves.
For our clients, we can help support and care through the time of waiting, we can show them the support and love of God for the whole journey and beyond. For ourselves, we can know that even when we don't see the harvest, we have helped tend the crop.
Ely and District CAP News
30k for 30 years
Christians Against Poverty is 30 years old this year, and we have joined the challenge to walk 30k and raise money for CAP! We will aim to walk 30k from Ely to Cambridge on Saturday 24th October. To sponsor the team head to our JustGiving page:
Prayer
Please pray for all our Ely and District CAP clients, for those waiting for their first visit and their CAP journey to begin, for those waiting for their debt solutions and those putting all their paperwork together. Pray that they would know that they are in safe hands with the Ely and District CAP team and the support team in Bradford and that this love and care will continue beyond the debt journey.
Please pray for our debt coaches, visit team and supporters for all the love and care that they bring to our clients and that they would know the strength of God to take this wider and deeper beyond the journey out of debt.
Pray that we would all be encouraged that even when things don't work out as planned or to our own timetable, God is still working and we can play our part with patience and nurturing to help bring forth the fruits of God's plan.
Comments