Sir, give it another year

As a business consultant for many years before assuming my present role as a deacon evangelist, I have learnt, that the difference between success and failure in a business enterprise is often persistence.

Seldom do new products and services or small businesses succeed in their first iteration. Those that do are those that are adapted, redesigned or repackaged- those that are backed by persistence.

So I was in support of the gardener in this week’s Gospel Luke 13: 1-9 ‘Sir, leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year.’

Just as the gardener in the parable saw potential in the barren fig tree and believed that with care and patience it could still bear fruit, so too have I seen struggling businesses, ministries, and even individuals find new life through persistence and thoughtful renewal.

Whether in the corporate world or in faith communities, growth often requires us to dig deeper, nourish what seems unfruitful, and trust that with time, effort, and God’s grace, transformation is possible.

This passage reminds us that true success—whether in business, ministry, or personal growth—is not about immediate results but about the commitment to keep cultivating, even when the harvest is uncertain.

I believe this is the meaning of ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. It is not a feel good sentiment but a struggle , a persistence to overcome the obstacles on our pilgrimage, to arrive at the promised land.

Friend, you may be experiencing a difficulty on your pilgrimage, if so, I urge you to take heart from Jesus’ parable. He is the gardener pleading to give us another year to change. Let us take up the challenge this Jubilee Year.

I also take heart from this Gospel with this online Ministry of the Word, asking Jesus to bless it, to reach those who need a change of heart. I invite you to join me as an associate evangelist by sharing the publication with family and friends. And if you can afford to, become a patron.