It’s hard to believe that I have now completed a full month at the Preshal Trust in Govan. I am privileged to work with a great team who serve our clients with real commitment and devotion.
“Preshal” is Gaelic for precious - and this is one of the key values that describes the care and support given to all the people who access our services. Each person who walks through the doors of our centre is precious in God’s sight. On any given day we have a whole cross section of humanity sitting round the tables. There are those who face the challenges of:
drug and alcohol addiction
gambling addiction
learning difficulties
physical disabilities
poor mental health
The core value of the Trust has been a guiding light in my interaction with these people over the last four weeks.
As I have reflected on my first month and the relationships I am forming with our clients the following truths are proving to be inspirational…
The creation narrative of Scripture has reminded me that we are all made in the image of God.
The gospel narrative affirms that we are loved by God.
Ultimately Christ, our supreme example, teaches me to look at others through his eyes. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
When the curtain falls on the stage of the Old Covenant the following words ring out, “They will be mine”, says the Lord, “on the day when I make up my treasured possession” (Malachi 3:17).
That verse put me in mind of a song I sang in Sunday School easily 50 years ago! To modern ears the language is flowery but the truth remains undimmed:
When He cometh, when He cometh
To make up His jewels,
All His jewels, precious jewels,
His loved and His own.
Like the stars of the morning,
His brightness adorning,
They shall shine in their beauty,
Bright gems for His crown.
Perhaps that verse and song are the inspiration for the mural in Preshal’s carpark…
“We love each other because he loved us first” (1 John 4:19).
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