Monday, April 27, 2009
Patience
Gary Peil at CGO wrote a fantastic piece:
What's also interesting is that it is the accumulation of small, nearly imperceptible growth that remains, while the spectacular gains of rapidity have gone *poof*.
I remember when I was a young man and it seemed that my "spiritual growth" was built around a cycle of summer camps and other "mountain top" experiences. There Christ was alive and vibrant, but here, when I could even find Him, He was sluggish and dull. But then I also noted that the "lessons" of camp soon faded. My determination to fix whatever issue I was convicted about faded in the rush of the new school year, or the new job. But the slow, nearly imperceptible growth that happened back in the sluggish and dull, that stayed.
And somewhere in my 30's the sluggish and dull became the bright and shiny. Oh sure, everyday existence still gets pretty monotonous and I still love to travel and gain new experience. But now my walk with Christ does not depend on that new experience. My perspective is different - longer term.
Such perspective is hard to attain in youth, which is why the trick is faithfulness. Even if your perspective is short term, God is long-term. Stay focused on Him, and over time you will find the bright and shiny at home.
Joshua had expected the toy to immediately swell up like a giant blowfish, but that is not how Grow Dinosaur works. My wife and I got the package that Grow Dinosaur came in and started to read. It promised 600% growth, but right after the warning not to swallow the dinosaur it said, “Do not expect immediate results. It takes the dinosaur up to 96 hours to grow to its full size. When the dinosaur is out of the water it will shrink back to its original size.” We explained to Joshua that when his dinosaur was in the bathtub it really was growing, but that it takes a long time. In fact it grows so slowly that you can’t even see it growing most of the time. Because a 96-hour bath was out of the question, we came up with another plan. We filled a clear bucket with water and put Grow Dinosaur in it so we could see the transformation that four days would bring.We live in a short term culture. Take my retirement savings as an example. I, like everyone, have experienced more than a little trepidation as I have watched their values plummet these last few months. But, if you take the time to do the math - they are still worth more than I have actually paid in. I haven't actually lost a thing - unless, of course, I only take the short view.
I have to admit; grow dinosaur provided a pretty profound lesson for a dollar store novelty. It taught my son a lot about patience, and it reminded me of the importance of abiding in Christ. John 15:4-5 reads, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can to nothing.” Jesus tells us that the process of sanctification and spiritual growth in our lives is a process that takes time. He calls us to abide (remain) in him. Just as Grow Dinosaur had to be in the water to grow, we have to abide in Christ to grow.
What's also interesting is that it is the accumulation of small, nearly imperceptible growth that remains, while the spectacular gains of rapidity have gone *poof*.
I remember when I was a young man and it seemed that my "spiritual growth" was built around a cycle of summer camps and other "mountain top" experiences. There Christ was alive and vibrant, but here, when I could even find Him, He was sluggish and dull. But then I also noted that the "lessons" of camp soon faded. My determination to fix whatever issue I was convicted about faded in the rush of the new school year, or the new job. But the slow, nearly imperceptible growth that happened back in the sluggish and dull, that stayed.
And somewhere in my 30's the sluggish and dull became the bright and shiny. Oh sure, everyday existence still gets pretty monotonous and I still love to travel and gain new experience. But now my walk with Christ does not depend on that new experience. My perspective is different - longer term.
Such perspective is hard to attain in youth, which is why the trick is faithfulness. Even if your perspective is short term, God is long-term. Stay focused on Him, and over time you will find the bright and shiny at home.
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