Inch By Inch

Do you remember the old joke about how to eat an elephant?  One bite at a time!  One of my instructors at Harding would often remind us preaching students, "Yard by yard, it's too hard, but inch by inch, it's a cinch."  An old joke and an old cliche communicate a timeles truth: "Steady plodding brings prosperity, hasty speculation brings poverty" (Prov 21:5 The Living Bible).

We live in a society where fast results are demanded, speed of completion is paramount.  Often, detail, precision and quality are sacrificed in the attempt to be speedy.  I remember a framed quote on the wall of our administrative office when I served in the Air Force, "Why is there never enough time to do it right the first time but always enough time to do it over?"

The need for speed in getting a product out before a deadline has taken presidence over the need to produce a top rate product.  When everyone above you wants it done today or preferably yesterday, it makes it hard to focus on the quality of what you are producing.  I remember a friend of mine back in the 70s talking about the corporate speed addiction where he worked as an engineer.  He said that folders labeled "Hot" were to be given priority.  So all folders started coming in "Hot."  So they started putting "Red Hot" for the one to be priortized and soon, all folders were labeled "Red Hot."  Everybody wants it now, meaning that no one gets the best.

Quick results seems so much preferable over steady plodding.  Who wants to move along a step at a time when you can get your results today?  Why spend three years of graduate study on top of four years of undergradate study to become a minister when you can get your ordination via the Internet today?  Hmmm, I wonder?  Do you think there is any difference in the quality of those two paths?

In your Christian life, how fast do you want to deveelop?  What fast track is there that will bring you to a deeper faith and a more Christ-like attitude?  Is there a short-cut to spiritual development?  Are there steps we can combine or cut out entirely?  No, there is only the steady plodding of daily prayer, Bible study and quiet time with God.  It is a marathon, not a sprint.

A deep abiding, foundational faith does not come about by skipping over or racing through, it comes from a daily laying down of one spiritual brick at a time.  It is not nearly as important that we "come to faith" as it is that we "continue in faith, established and firm" (Col 1:23).  It's a bit like going on a cruise - it's not so important that you get on board immediately as it is that you stay on board until the ship has docked.  Being the first to attend college is far less important than finishing your degree.  Getting to the wedding pales in comparison to staying in the marriage.

As dull as it may sound and as far from exciting as it may be, steady plodding is how most things get done right.  On TV, problems are solved in under 30 minuttes, in real life it may take years.  In story books, the happy couple rides off into the sunset, in real life, the couple must work together one day at a time, week by week, month by month and year by year.  Inch by inch it's a cinch, yard by yard, it's too hard.  Jus' Sayn.