By Rev. James Earl Jackson, Sr.
It Is possible to live a life that is so much larger than limitations?
Each of us possesses handicaps and is presented with hindrances in our pilgrimage on planet Earth. We are born with the potential to accomplish great things but to do so we must advance through adversity. To be best prepared is to be aware of our weaknesses and not just our strengths, particularly since in the believer the Lord’s “strength is made perfect in weakness.”
The Reverend George Washington, born October 19, 1932, departed this life July 28, 2021, to be present with the Lord. During his 88 years of navigating through “thorns and thistles,” he exemplified what it means to be faithful unto death. After graduating from Tim Tippit High School in West Monroe, Louisiana, he attended Southern University for two years. He served God, family, and country. He served in the United States Army and was honorably discharged on August 31, 1961. He was married to Ella Mae Head Washington, the love of his life, for 65 years. He lovingly and happily fathered his children and grandchildren. He pastured Mary Goss Baptist Church and Tried Stone Baptist Church, both in Monroe, Louisiana. After 40 years of service, he retired from pastoral ministry.
Pastor Washington not only showed us how to live, love, and labor here—he showed us how to leave here. As true of the Apostle Paul and all of who are of the household of faith, the Creator gave him limitations to accompany his liberty. Like every good soldier of Jesus Christ, he learned that the greatest problem in life is not to know what to do, but to do it! Therefore, his constant prayer was for the passion and the power to do God’s will.
This man of God possessed, practiced, and proclaimed a Gospel that builds faith. He was a formidable and earnest contender for the faith. He saw to it that being deprived of a pastoral staff as most of us are, did not stop his congregations from excelling in their covenant relationship with Christ and their call to be a Great Commission Church. He led them to membership in the North Louisiana Old Line Missionary Baptist Association. He championed the cause of Christian education and brought before them guest pastors and preachers who could partner with him in the planting and watering process that they might be better positioned for the increase God gives. He displayed the blessedness of building your life upon the foundation laid in the Gospel.
Pastor Washington also shared a Gospel that brings hope. During his leadership, politicians did not miss visiting his congregations. The congregations under his leadership gave birth to a city councilman, law enforcement personnel, daycare administrators, public educators, community and civic impact persons, and preachers. He was a pastor’s pastor. Countless preachers were well on their way in ministry because of the help they received from him along the way. His pastoral counsel and evangelistic reach extended outside the campuses where his congregations gathered. He did all of this and so much more with a quiet disposition. Despite his limitations, he did much because he simply did not care about getting the credit.
Regardless of the darkness or despair or dread one faced, they were sure to receive a lift from Rev. Washington in that he always brought Christ to the scene. He was a natural at working behind the curtains to make everyone better. He was a friend and supporter of the United Theological Seminary and Bible College. His life demonstrated that we celebrate a hope that is redemptive and reserved for believers without the possibility of loss. This hope is in the message of the Gospel.
Additionally, this servant of God stressed a Gospel that births love. Pastor Washington was a person who loved in words and deeds. He was committed to living by faith and not by his feelings. I recall times when individuals or organizations were in need of help that he contributed out of his own personal resources. You did not have to be a member of his congregation or any congregation for him to come to your aid. He was compassionate even in performing the task of correction. He reproduced that seed of love in his children, many in his congregations, and many others whose lives intersected with his. His life depicted that we celebrate a love that reflects the nature of divine love.
Moreover, Rev. Washington shared a Gospel that bears fruit. Mindful that he was a branch on the True Vine, he conducted himself in a way that his witness won new converts. You could count on him partnering with the Lord to walk through valleys with you, to be part of His rescue work in your life, and to deliver a soul from the evils of our society. His grace-based lifestyle denotes that we celebrate a God who redeems and reproduces in the redeemed word and ministry of reconciliation.
Finally, Pastor Washington was an under-shepherd and believer who shared a Gospel that battles through suffering. He did not suffer as an evildoer. Nor did he suffer in isolation, thanks to his God-given wife and children and some from the congregations he served.
Like the Apostle Paul, he, too, arrived at a point where his life was being poured out like a drink offering. Through his suffering, he showed us that there are difficulties through which we must pass for which we can find no relief or release, and when that becomes our reality we can trust God to provide us with the power to endure. Endurance is the refusal to be daunted by hard times.
Endurance is adequate power to suffer through every situation and remain whole and triumphant. Therefore, through his suffering and departure from this life to be with the Lord, He showed us some essentials. No darkness can overcome us. No power can overwhelm us. No experience can completely devastate us.
Even sin cannot hold sway in our lives. We’re neither hopeless nor helpless in our conflict, disillusionment, pain, and struggles. His life documents that we celebrate a God who reassures us that “if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Cor. 5:1 NIV).
