"Slow and Steady Wins the Race"

I remember when I was a kid, my mother used to repeat that saying to me all the time. As a child I never really took those words to heart because, of course, I was into childish things. Even the Bible says, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.” (1 Corinthians 13:11) But as the scripture goes on to tell us, now that I’m grown, my approach to life is a little different.

As an adult, I can say that my mother’s saying rings true. Slow and steady does win the race—although the world around me seems to be running in the opposite direction. As I look around, I know that instant gratification is the way of the world. We crave everything from fast food to pre-fabricated houses to instant cash (no wonder our lotteries climb so quickly to over $200 million)!

Over the years, I’ve learned that quality comes with time. And I believe this is a spiritual principle that doesn’t change. God took seven days to create the world, when He could have done it in an instant. The works of art that hang on the walls in the homes of the wealthiest people weren’t created overnight. Great books aren’t written in a day, but are written, rewritten and reviewed before publication.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the convenience of stopping by my local drive-thru and picking up a burger and fries on the way home if it’s too late to cook. But as we all know, a steady diet of this “quick fix” can be toxic to our systems. As creative people of God, let’s not allow our work become tainted with the toxicity of trying to get things done too quickly. Take time to complete your project the right way. Plan for time to review your work. And don’t be disappointed if you’re not an overnight success. Have faith that the time and hard work you invest will ultimately result in abundant blessings.