February 2025

Letter from the Committee

Patience

Happy birthday, Alumni Post!! This month, we celebrate five wonderful years with you, our audience! As we think back over the last five years, it is encouraging to see the faithfulness of our community, as well as its steady growth and development.

Calling the last five years to mind, what growth or change are you especially thankful for?

There are things we can universally agree are painful wastes of time—watching paint dry, or grass grow. We simply cannot detect the minute changes occurring over extended lengths of time. So, why wait? Why watch? Have you ever witnessed a timelapse of a seed sprouting? Condensing time, we gain a beautiful visual of the growth and change that transforms a seed into a fruit-bearing plant. When time feels like it is standing still, much more is happening than what may meet the eye.

Life has a natural momentum that propels us forward. Perhaps we look ahead to moving into a new home, kicking off a new degree plan, landing the next job, welcoming a new child into the family, or preparing for that next project or event. The list grows infinitely long. Regardless of your unique longings and anticipations today, we can remind one another that God uses outward change and “stasis” to develop growth in our hearts.

Waiting for a desired outcome is hard. Our longing for wholeness and good fruit can sometimes exceed the strength of our current foundation, or be viewed without the lens of God’s grace, mercy, and timing. Strengthening the branches beforehand will prepare us to bear more fruit later. It is often during the seemingly fruit-less seasons that we are empowered to make the largest strides in our growth in relationship with the Lord.

What strengthening does the Lord want in your life? Does this differ from the growth you are pursuing most? How can you surrender to His process today?

This month, join us in meditating on what the Lord is working within, and around us. Patiently lean into the vision He inspires for you. Have confidence in His patient faithfulness to yield the best fruit in you as you surrender obediently to Him.

Here is to our next five years together! 

Your Stoa Alumni Committee,

Samuel Durand (AR), Nicole Kaiser (MT), Alyssa Sloneker (AR), Denise Sprimont-Vasquez (VA), Elizabeth Stapleton (OK), and David Vasquez (VA)

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