I listened to Angie from Next Door Social Space talk about the recent snow storm and how she had to cancel the programs for the day.
Next Door Social Space is a ministry of Forestview Church (Oakville, ON) for those in the community who are on the edges.
People come to drink coffee, eat meals, cook together, make art, speak English, study the Bible together, and sometimes just to be with another human being.
It really is a community – a circle of love – inspired by the life of Jesus.
Being obedient to Jesus’ call to love your neighbour, Angie takes her job seriously to love the people that God brings to Next Door.
So as she’s telling me about the snowstorm and how she had to make a bunch of phone calls to cancel the day’s events, it brought me a real sense of joy.
That may seem like a strange thing to say – but she spoke with such love about her Next Door friends.
The young guy with autism who looks forward to every event at Next Door – he was so sad when Angie told him that Next Door would be closed that day.
She took a few minutes and chatted and reminded him that they would see him again soon.
The elderly man who is so lonely – Angie told him about Next Door being closed for the day and then spent some time just visiting.
Each person she called was disappointed and sad to hear about the snowstorm and cancellation and she could tell how much Next Door meant to them.
It was grace in an unlikely place.
Who knew that a snowstorm and the cancellation of the day’s activities could result in such care for individuals?
And the reminder that the work at Next Door is important for a bunch of people?
It does sound like God’s economy.
What we think is wasted is actually fertile ground for something else.
Snow days can be a sort of redemption too.
Photo creds: Colin Lloyd (Unsplash)