I’ll never forget the first time I tried to water-ski. My dad and I sat in the water, my skis going everywhere. He held them together from behind, steadying me. "Alright," he said, "when you’re ready, just yell, ‘Hit it!’”
The boat took off… and so did I. My arms were flailing, and I skipped across the water like a smooth stone. I wiped out almost immediately. And then again. And again.
Eventually, I realized my mistake. I was trying too hard to control everything —pulling when I should have been trusting, fighting the water instead of letting the boat do its job. But when I finally stopped panicking, found my balance, and just held on, something changed. I didn’t just stay up — I began to enjoy it.
Joy works the same way.
At Springs Rescue Mission, we meet people who feel like they’re barely holding on. Life has hit them hard with loss, addiction, and broken relationships. But when they take that first step forward, when they find the courage to trust the process, when they lean into community — joy follows.
It’s in the small victories:
- The guest who gets their first paycheck in years.
- The parent who completes recovery and is reunited with their kids.
- The guest who sits down for a meal and gets up knowing they are loved.
Paul knew something about holding on. Sitting in a prison cell, he wrote these words in Philippians 4:4:
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”
Paul wasn’t rejoicing because life was easy. He was rejoicing because he knew God was at work, even when he couldn’t see the full picture. That’s the kind of joy I hope we all hold on to.
Your generosity, your prayers, and your heart for this Mission are helping people hold on. You are part of God’s work of redemption in our city.
So, as we move forward, I encourage you:
- Hold on to hope.
- Hold on to faith.
- Hold on to joy.
Because when we do, not only do we help others find joy — we experience it ourselves.
