This is the second of a series of blogs about Upside Down Joy, a new book from Pastor and Executive Director, Andrew Mann.
I don’t know exactly why or when, but sometime in my childhood a switch flipped in my head. I thought, There is nothing more valuable than impacting a single life. For that person, and every person who is impacted by them, it is everything.
I guess that’s why I have always loved the story about the little boy throwing starfish back into the sea. A man watched from a distance thinking How futile! After all, there seemed to be millions of starfish washed ashore. The man walked across the sandy beach to the little boy who continued throwing starfish back into the sea one by one. Doing the boy a favor, the man commented, “Son, you’re wasting your time. You can’t possibly save all of these starfish.” The boy looked at the man and then looked down at the starfish. The lad stooped and picked up another starfish and replied, “No, I can’t save them all, but I can save this one,” as he hurled the starfish back into the sea.
I once considered myself to be like that boy. I’ve since learned only Jesus can be the Savior. However, as we play our part, He brings blessings to us and others.
Fifteen years ago I met a young man in Chicago named Ariel. He came every Saturday to a Bible study for boys that met on the corner of Potomac and Washtenaw close to Humboldt Park. I wrote about him in my book, Upside Down Joy.
Ariel ranks among the top of my list of influences and encouragers. You might not think so upon first glance. In fact, if you isolate his life at any given moment, it would be easy to characterize him as something other than Christian.
Ariel grew up in a tough neighborhood. He’s more familiar with gang life than Christian life. Nevertheless, Ariel has survived. God has sustained his life through so much; so many times he could of (should of) been dead.
I visited him in Chicago not long ago. He has a new son, Jelias. I watched Ariel hold Jelias, change his diapers, give him raspberries on his belly, and walk around the apartment incessantly repeating “da-da” hoping his four-month-old would repeat.
Ariel commented to his girlfriend, “Do you think I had this growing up? I was probably lucky to have someone change my poopy diaper.”
God has done more than just sustain Ariel’s physical life. He’s been working deep in his mind, heart, and soul. This slow change began many years ago when the seed of salvation was planted in Ariel’s life. A lot of weeds were in the soil at the time. Some are still there. Yet, I now say in amazement, “What a beautiful garden!”
Hope is shining bright. Bright for Ariel, but even brighter for Jelias.