I love the internet. I truly do. I have seen lives changed, communities rally around causes, women encouraged, friendships built, and God’s kingdom glorified. I look at online community and real life community from a unique perspective that allows me to see an ampersand between those two pieces of my life – not a divide.
But sometimes little pieces of this wonderful internet world creep into my real life in a way that makes me a little tired. The internet is always on. Twitter never sleeps. New content is constantly being created and shared and it can be wonderful and glorious, and act as a light to those who need it.
I forget, though, that the rest of life takes a little bit longer to develop. Bloggers who write beautiful books don’t become New York Times best-sellers after their first blog post. They’ve invested time to develop their passion and refine their story. Speakers who lead Bible studies to thousands didn’t start off in arenas. They said “yes” to the small beginnings and learned to improve with each experience. And yet I like to compare my beginnings to their hard-earned “now” and wonder when it might be my turn.
Did you know that it took David ten years to become king after he killed Goliath? Though he had been anointed as king several years earlier and had defeated the giant – an event that brought him immediate recognition, the promise God made wasn’t fulfilled for another ten years. Ten years of trusting God, gathering around himself a band of outcasts who would become his “mighty men of valor.” Ten long years of trials and tests of character, failures and achievements, leading because that was – quite simply – what God made him to do.
Will you come over to (in)courage today to read the rest and be encouraged? I’d love to see you there!
Crystal, I read this post on (in)courage and just had to visit your blog. I always want to change the world right NOW. But repeatedly in this last week God has given me lessons about slowing down and allowing Him to work in HIS time. Your post drove home that point. I’m starting to understand that I can take small steps in the right direction and then allow God’s timing to bring them to fruition. And I love how God can take our tiniest steps and magnify them into such movements for His glory. Thanks for being one of those people taking steps in the right direction.