Seasons of life have advantages and disadvantages, ups and downs, pluses and minuses. One of the pluses of our present season is the blessing of perspective. In the productive full-of-energy years we were too often immersed in daily tasks to have any appreciation for the coming reality. In fact, we spent years plowing hardened spiritual ground and sowing seed which sometimes which seemed would never germinate. Our hands were calloused and our souls often weary.
But, today we are able to rejoice because the seed, the Truth of God’s Word, germinated and is bearing an abundant crop. The power of the parable of the seed (Luke 8:1-15) has been flowing toward us as an ocean rip tide current. Our understanding of the power of the Gospel in this season of life is almost overwhelming.
To illustrate, in 1991 we purchased an abandoned Presbyterian church building in Newark, New Jersey. At the time Newark was the poorest city of its size in North America. She was also among the most violent cities in the United States. Home ownership was an unfulfilled dream for more than half of the residents. Rental units were poorly maintained and building code violations were ignored by slum lord owners. Arsonists kept the fire sirens’ loud screams assaulting our ears daily. One of our well-intentioned advisors later told us, "I thought you had lost your mind going into that place." The first years of removing stones (fluttering pigeons and chattering rats) were difficult, a necessary step leading to a bountiful harvest.
On Easter Sunday Vailsburg Assembly of God met in the building which a few years ago was home to pigeons, rats and vagrants who dared to break in and warm themselves and their meals on charcoal grills. The church conducted two services and 527 people were in attendance. Seven people were baptized in water and fourteen passed from death to life as they confessed the Risen Christ as Savior! The once fallow soil is a rich loam producing abundant fruit. Hope is no longer deferred. Faith has become sight!
A second illustration of the blessing of perspective is the record of what has happened in the life of the first child enrolled in Growing Garden Preschool. Growing Garden opened in the Fall of 1993 with less than ten students the first few weeks. Denise was the first student, the daughter of her single mother, Caroline, a Liberian immigrant. Almost immediately Caroline began bringing Denise to Sunday School and church services at Vailsburg Assembly. Since then, Caroline married a man saved through the ministries of the church and they are now active members.
Denise went on to graduate from high school and completed her undergraduate studies at Rutgers University. At Rutgers Denise grew spiritually as a member of various campus ministries and continued to mature in her walk with the Lord. In a few weeks we will be creating a video record of the importance of the role Growing Garden Preschool and Academy played in Denise’s life. She is now a graduate student of robotic engineering at a university in New England. Vailsburg’s pastor, Jermel Mayo, says that Denise is an inspiration and example to the church’s thriving youth group.
In the years of formation at Vailsburg, the dream was clearly before us, but the hoped for results were still hidden. The definition of faith is constant, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). On occasion our faith was challenged, our vision dimmed by fatigue and opposition from many sources. But, today our perspective is different. The "pluses" outrace the "minuses," and the "advantage" of the perspective in this season of life outweighs the "disadvantages" that come in every stage of life experience.
In brief, I encourage those who are in the middle of removing stones and dealing with obstacles, don’t give up! In what seems like a few weeks, life will present a new vantage point, a different perspective. You will have reasons for rejoicing!
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