When Progress is Not Visible
I took the opportunity to explain:
Foundations of a building construction are not readily visible.
This is the building foundation of the Petronas Twin Towers whilst under construction. For several months they were building foundations only. As a passer-by, you will not see any growth from outside.
Then suddenly one-fine day, presto, you have this ....
The story of the Chinese Bamboo Tree is also relevant.
The Bamboo Tree Story
Like all other plants and trees, the Chinese bamboo tree requires nurturing through water, fertile soil, and also with enough sunshine to ensure that it will grow.
If you try to plant a bamboo tree and you make sure you give it enough water, the right soil, and also enough exposure to sunlight, you will NEVER see any visible growth in the first year.
And if you continue to nurture the bamboo tree, after the second year, nothing will grow above the ground. And if you choose to continue on for the third and fourth year, you will see nothing too.
Finally, in the fifth year, something amazing will happen. The bamboo tree that you planted will grow to 80 feet tall in just six weeks!
Why is that so? For the first four years, nothing had happened, but in the fifth year, the bamboo tree grows to 80 feet tall in just a short six weeks.
Does this mean that within the first four years, nothing has happened to the tree? Nope, not at all, in fact, the bamboo tree is growing, UNDERGROUND, but you can’t see it.
Personal Testimony
I learned this during my years of church planting in Seremban. After toiling for a whole year, we only have 5 persons attending church regularly. You can imagine how much I wanted to give up … and almost did.
But by then, I had shared the gospel with many people, making new friends, and also deepening relationships. All these are not visible, and when you come to our church at that point in time, you will only see 5 people.
But all good things take time, and eventually some of those friendships blossomed into commitments for the Lord Jesus and made their way into the church congregation, and eventually even as church workers.
As they say, “it takes 9 months for a woman to deliver a baby. 9 women cannot do it in 1 month.”
Of course this is no excuse for being lazy and not doing anything. But it is an encouragement if you are working hard and the results are not visible.
Then suddenly one-fine day, presto, you have this ....
The story of the Chinese Bamboo Tree is also relevant.
The Bamboo Tree Story
Like all other plants and trees, the Chinese bamboo tree requires nurturing through water, fertile soil, and also with enough sunshine to ensure that it will grow.
If you try to plant a bamboo tree and you make sure you give it enough water, the right soil, and also enough exposure to sunlight, you will NEVER see any visible growth in the first year.
And if you continue to nurture the bamboo tree, after the second year, nothing will grow above the ground. And if you choose to continue on for the third and fourth year, you will see nothing too.
Finally, in the fifth year, something amazing will happen. The bamboo tree that you planted will grow to 80 feet tall in just six weeks!
Why is that so? For the first four years, nothing had happened, but in the fifth year, the bamboo tree grows to 80 feet tall in just a short six weeks.
Does this mean that within the first four years, nothing has happened to the tree? Nope, not at all, in fact, the bamboo tree is growing, UNDERGROUND, but you can’t see it.
Personal Testimony
I learned this during my years of church planting in Seremban. After toiling for a whole year, we only have 5 persons attending church regularly. You can imagine how much I wanted to give up … and almost did.
But by then, I had shared the gospel with many people, making new friends, and also deepening relationships. All these are not visible, and when you come to our church at that point in time, you will only see 5 people.
But all good things take time, and eventually some of those friendships blossomed into commitments for the Lord Jesus and made their way into the church congregation, and eventually even as church workers.
As they say, “it takes 9 months for a woman to deliver a baby. 9 women cannot do it in 1 month.”
Of course this is no excuse for being lazy and not doing anything. But it is an encouragement if you are working hard and the results are not visible.
No comments:
Post a Comment