Reflection from New Song Ministries & Church, Baltimore, Md.

Honeysuckle in the ’Hood
by Monique Williams

July 11, 2007

“For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.” — 2 Corinthians 2:15 (ASV)

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Monique Williams on Teaching Communities

Monique Williams singing with the Morning Worship Team for Sandtown Habitat for Humanity blitz week.

Walking through the streets and alleys of Sandtown can evoke intensely conflicting emotions.

When you see the abandoned homes you feel despair, but when you see the newly painted Habitat for Humanity homes you feel happiness. When you see bullet shells and broken glass you feel fear, but when you see the beautiful artwork of New Song children on the walls of their auditorium you feel delight.

As I walked down an alley one afternoon and saw the trash, overgrown yards and broken concrete, I was plagued with a familiar feeling of dismay. As I walked through this ‘alley of shadow and death’ in deep contemplation about the ruinous state that is the reality of Sandtown, I was caught off guard by a delightfully unexpected whiff of sweetness. It was so sweet and foreign that it caused me to turn around and search for the source.

At first I could not locate it because it was caught up among the weeds and trash in the alley, but the sweet aroma continued to beckon. The closer in I got to the debris, the harder it was for me to see what it was. So I took a few steps back. I guess sometimes we can get so caught up in searching for things that God has to tell us… “Step back a bit, look at the big picture.”

So I stepped back even further, and finally, to my delight, I could see the source of this fragrance. It was a grand and tangled vine of honeysuckle. At that moment I thought, “Well just look at that, honeysuckle in the ’hood, that must be what hope smells like.” There among the garbage and desolation was a whiff of hope…the hope of growth, the hope of beauty, the hope of refreshment in a forgotten place.

I researched honeysuckle and discovered that it is a vigorous vine – highly tolerant of heat and “nearly indestructible.” How fitting is it that this vine grows in such a place as this? Apparently the adverse conditions are just what are required for this hopeful vine to thrive. I also found that honeysuckle is a homeopathic remedy for asthma, other breathing problems and violent outbursts.

It dawned on me that there are people in this neighborhood who embody the healing attributes of honeysuckle. There are people who have placed themselves in the heat of suffering and through the power of Christ have proven to be ‘nearly indestructible,’ people who are resilient amid the toughest conditions. There are people such as Pastor Thurman who serve as a breath of fresh air in a place where the enemy has constricted the air supply. And there are people such as the women and staff of Martha’s Place, who have suffered abuse, overcome addiction and, through their testimony, exude a sweetness that is not indigenous to this place and time.

Every so often I find myself in worship hours before I am called to serve in whatever capacity for the day, singing “Jesus, Jesus, Jeeeesus, there is something about that name. Master, Savior, Jeeeeus like the fragrance after the raa-a-ain.”

As I sang those words one morning, once again God impressed upon me the power of fragrance. Jesus, as the ultimate sacrifice, emitted a sweet savor in the nostrils of God. We, as followers of Christ, emit this same fragrance in worship, in sacrifice, in loving our neighbors and in obedience to God. My prayer is that God will become overwhelmed by the sweet smelling sacrifices of the people of Sandtown.

There is indeed honeysuckle in the ’hood. Sometimes, however, if you get too involved with searching for the source, the debris of despair will distract you. However, if you step back and see the big picture, the tendrils and petals of hope dispersed throughout it will offer a breath of fresh air to the weak, the weary and the worn.

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