A New Day

By: Pastor Johnie Akers     

Luke 15:14, “And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in the land; and he began to be in want.” Sometimes things just don’t turn out the way we planned. Take, for example, this story from Stephen Pile’s book, The Book of Failures. The year was 1978. A fireman’s strike had virtually paralyzed emergency services throughout England. The British Army had taken over the responsibilities of firefighting. On January 14 of that year the Army responded to an emergency call at an elderly lady’s home in South London to rescue her cat. The soldiers arrived on the scene within minutes of the call and conducted a rather impressive rescue operation. With the kitty safe and sound, the appreciative homeowner invited the heroes into her residence for a “spot of tea.” At the conclusion of the encounter, the proud soldiers drove away with the warm and cheerful adoration of the neighborhood, and in the process, ran over the lady’s cat and killed it. Suddenly cheers were replaced by tears. Life can “go South” rather quickly. A paraphrased line from Robert Burns’ poem, “To a Mouse,” comes to mind: “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Our Scripture lesson today comes from a story Jesus told about a young man who had requested his inheritance in advance and ventured into a far country to enjoy, as he thought, life at its fullest. Yet after his money was spent, his newfound friends vanished leaving the penniless young man in famine. But in the kingdom of God, failure is never final. God always provides a second chance. The young man returns to his father’s house to find the warm embrace of the one who never gave up hope of his return. What about you today? Have your plans not turned out the way you had hoped? If you feel as if you have been a failure in spite of your best efforts, remember there is a God of grace and mercy who stands ready to wipe the slate clean of the past and grant you a new start, beginning now, with this new day.