Growing Oaks
When Julie was out of town last week, attending a conference, she made a bold and risky move. She put me in charge of watering her garden. After an intense training session, I accepted the challenge with a sense of weightiness and importance. The first thing that surprised me was how much the garden had grown since I last visited. In fact, on my second day on the job, while soaking a patch of tall green plants, I noticed bulbous objects hiding behind the blankets of entwined blades. Peppers! It felt like I was cheating Julie for picking the fruits of her hard work, but it needed to be done.
Growth is often like that. Imperceptible for quite a while and then suddenly observable. Last Sunday we wrapped up our study of the book of Esther, highlighting the emphasis on unity. For July we’re focusing on the theme of Growth. When I came to Valley View my main prayer was from Isaiah 61:3, that we would become “oaks of righteousness.” The challenge is that a mighty oak tree takes a long time to grow. Strength takes time. Plus it is hard to tell when an oak tree is growing. Look at it any given day and you can’t tell a difference from yesterday. Yet it is growing a little bit every day, and incremental growth is still growth.
I’ve been encouraged by the steady and meaningful growth happening throughout our church. I see an increasing hunger for God’s Word among our people and a sincere love for one another. As we head into July, pray for God to show you the ways He wants you to grow this summer. Pray for opportunities to tell others throughout the South End about the hope you have in Jesus Christ. And pray for opportunities to invite others to Valley View. We are striving to be a Bible-believing, Gospel-centered church full of people dedicated to growing into Oaks of Righteousness, and all the while meeting people where they are. Come as you are so you don’t have to stay as you are!
Photo by David J. Boozer on Unsplash