Last August 16 was a busy day for us here at the Medicine Hat Salvation Army ministries in Alberta. We had a birthday barbecue at Veteran’s Memorial Park.

We had told our clients for a couple of weeks that we were planning a birthday barbecue to be held at the park. Of course, we got some interesting looks when we said that, and they asked whose birthday we were celebrating. We replied, “Yours,” and explained that we wanted to celebrate them, each one of them.

“This is for all the birthdays that you weren’t celebrated,” we told them. “This is for all the birthdays you didn’t get to enjoy.”

Noisy Joy

It was a great day! Sure, it was a lot of work to pull it off, but it was well worth it. Now and then, I slipped away from the table I was at to tidy up at the other tables. I would smile and wish them all a happy birthday and they would do the same. As I walked, talked and worked, I encountered people who thanked me over and over again.

I wanted to live in their joy that day. I think I got to see how some of them may have been before the troubles and hardships of this world took hold, and before addictions seeped in and changed them.

At the end, we had cake, loot bags and socks to give them before they left. Once again, there were many expressions of thanks and birthday wishes from both staff and clients. It really felt like a day of celebration as people began to find the horn streamers we had put in their loot bags and started blowing them. “Now it really sounds like a birthday party,” remarked one of the staff.

“Yes, it does,” I replied.

Praying for Hope

Some might look at many of the clients we serve and see the rough exterior, the worn faces, the dirty, torn clothes, the eyes that sometimes look lifeless or forlorn. Sometimes, I see that, too. Sometimes, I see the pain, hurt, anger, and feel the frustration of seeing someone who was turning their life around fall back into the darkness and isolation that these awful addictions bring. But I also see the tears as I tell them they were created for something better than this; that their lives have purpose. I see the hope when I tell them there is Someone who loves them and will always love them.

That day, I believe—and hope—that they got a taste of how much they are loved and how special they are as we celebrated them.

When you see people who have been marginalized, are experiencing homelessness or are suffering from substance use disorders, remember, but for the grace of God, that could be you. It could be any of us. And remember to celebrate those around you every day.

We never know what tomorrow holds. Each day is a precious gift. Cherish it and those you hold dear, because each of us has purpose, and we are loved beyond measure by the God who created us.

Pray for those who are suffering from addictions, that they would find the hope they need from the giver of hope, Jesus Christ.

Captain Lorenda Dale is the community ministries officer and associate corps officer (pastor) at The Salvation Army’s Medicine Hat Community Church in Alberta.

Illustration: kolonko/stock.Adobe.com

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