Have you ever fallen on hard times and felt alone? I believe God allows us to go through storms in order to strengthen us and draw us closer to Him. Many of the residents at Star of Hope Mission have fallen on hard times, in need of hope and a savior. They come to our doors in search of something or someone to strengthen them and help them through the storm. Our goal is to help guide them toward a better life. Unfortunately, some people are only looking for a temporary fix. They believe that once they are out of the storm, they are strong enough to go through life on their own. A man named Greg went through a similar situation. Relying on his own strength, his perseverance out of a storm led him right back into another one.
After Greg had completed his recovery program at Star of Hope, he was eager to get back to living his own life. He had a new job lined up, and his wife was ready to welcome him home. He was a new man, strong and ready to do life right … or so he thought.
Greg was relying on his own strength to fight the desires of his flesh … something that is impossible without God’s help. He lost touch with his friends and teachers at Star of Hope, stopped attending church, and his marriage began to struggle. Greg would soon turn to drugs and alcohol, causing him to lose his wife, job and home in the process.
Being left with nothing, Greg landed on the streets … homeless and alone. He realized he had one last resort. Greg set his pride aside and humbly returned to the Star of Hope again. While attending worship service one day, the sermon weighed heavy on his heart, and he saw himself before God, needing Jesus. Although he had confessed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, he had never truly put his trust in Jesus, allowing Him to be ruler over his life. Greg saw how relying on himself, and not seeing Jesus as the source of his strength, caused him to fall. That day he decided to truly follow Jesus Christ, understanding that Jesus is the cornerstone and the only one he can rely on for strength.
Now God has work for Greg to do, and he is standing up for his faith. “For the first time in my life I am doing things God’s way, and it feels great,” he said. God let Greg fall, then built him up, into a stronger relationship with Him. Many of our residents are a testament to falling on hard times and getting through it with God’s help. Greg strayed away from God, but the beautiful thing is God is always ready to accept us back into His Kingdom.