God gives us dreams and desires. Often these are BIG ideas. They are big, because He is big. At first, when the undertaking is still a dream, it is thrilling. When we step up to the starting line though, we can easily become exhausted by all the details.
A grand ambition like writing a blog, a novel, or perhaps a series of novels has a lot of moving parts. How does one accomplish such tasks without becoming overwhelmed?
1.
Picture the project as a giant block
of cheese.
Step back and envision what
the entire piece will look like. Your
destination does not have to be crystal
clear in order to start. The key here is to understand the general direction
of the works that the Lord is calling you to, and understand that it is part of
a big picture.
2.
Take a bite.
You would choke if you
tried to eat an entire block of cheese at once. And, if you just stare at it with a mindset that it is “too
big and impossible to eat” it will remain a chunk of cheese forever. The only choice
left is to take one bite at a time. Take a deep breath, trust God to direct
each mouthful, then take a bite. God is honored when we step out in obedience
and begin.
3.
Keep chewing.
Focus on ONE bite at a
time, and do not stop until you swallow. Once the going gets tough it is easy
to quit or assume that we are on the wrong path. Some steps are long, and hard. It is through this
process though that the Lord shapes us. So keep at it!
4.
Savor each bite.
Sometimes we do not end up
where we thought we were going. Perhaps this is God teaching us to rely entirely
on Him and lean not on our own understanding. So enjoy the scenery because you
may never be back.
5.
Digest.
If we are not cautions, we
can get wrapped up in our own labor and miss God’s work. Be careful not to
overlook the miracles along the way, and certainly do not miss out on opportunities
to share them.No matter the size of the block of cheese, keep stepping back to gain focus on the works that you have been called to. Take one bite at a time and keep at it to completion. Enjoy the journey and don’t miss the Lord’s hand in all you do.
Even if you are lactose intolerant, works done for the Glory of God is one block of cheese you can digest.
Photo by Patrick Hoesly - Photo Pin
LOL! Melanie, I love your voice in writing. Your analogies are always just a little wonky. They make me laugh and give me a different perspective.
ReplyDeleteThe usual picture is that of a journey, one step at a time. But . . . God honours our chewing a bite of cheese until we swallow it? That takes the process deeper. How often do I bite and bite and bite from all around the block of cheese, and forget to savour, chew, swallow and digest before taking another bite?
Excellent visual. I need to ponder on this one. Thx!
Bobbi
Thanks so much for that insight. I tend to look at the entire block hoping something will jump out at me. Today I will take a small bite, chew, swallow and digest. What a great illustration.
ReplyDelete"Wonky" you say Bobbi....I will take that as a compliment lol thank you for your comments. Yup, one bite at a time ladies!
ReplyDeleteGreat word picture. I LOVE cheese so this all makes sense. I especially appreciate your last two points: Savor each bite and Digest. Sometimes I forget to just enjoy the ride, to open the window and let the Son hit my face and the Spirit-wind blow through my hair. Thanks for the reminder to do that more and focus less on the destination.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bobbi, and I'm laughing too. "Wonky," unusual, "out there," that describes your metaphors, but they work and they make us think. Thanks for this new metaphor. I will try what Connie suggests and just enjoy the spiritual ride.
ReplyDeleteThanks Melanie,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your cheesy take on things. My immediate thought, when I saw the picture is, yeah, but there are a lot of holes in the dream (like the Swiss cheese) and the illustration went one step further for me. On my own I am full of holes, those are the spaces needed to be God-filled in the process!
Thanks
Melanie,
ReplyDeleteWhat an encouraging post for me at this time. I feel like I could relate to every word. I love the part about being lactose intolerant!
A lot of great advice, Melanie! I do enjoy your writing style. The last words before signing off made me laugh. Thanks so much.
ReplyDelete