NOTHING IS IN VAIN

In my days of blogging, I’ve taken a hiatus about three times now, the first two times were because I just needed to learn consistency, the third one (which I just came out of) was because I was going through a time of reevaluation and rethinking a lot of things through. I didn’t want to do in the public eye. So, I stuck to my local church and my friends.

In my ministry, there are times when I considered things around me and foolishly compared myself with peers; other Pastors, bloggers and ministries. In those times, I would get extremely discouraged and wonder if what I was doing was really making an impact. This was one of the reasons for my initial hiatuses. I wondered if my blog and the messages I preached was reaching anybody, or if it was even affecting anybody’s life.

In those times, the thing that got me going were the testimonies. People who would just randomly tell me that they enjoyed my blog and how helpful it has been. People who would mention long forgotten messages on the podcast that impacted their lives. It always meant a lot. I remember one time a good friend of mine, who I least expected to care about such things just brought it up in our conversation. She asked why I had stopped writing on my blog. I told her I was just moving on from it. She commented that it was a shame, she really enjoyed my writings (or something to that effect), I can never forget that. In the course of time, I’ve learnt that consistency and quality is key to any venture. We only see people at their peak, we do not know all the hours they put into the work. Starting is euphoric and full of energy and the result seems sexy and glamorous, but we do not see the time in the middle when it’s not so cozy. More importantly, you never know who’s watching you and being impacted by your humble beginnings. So keep doing what you do

I admit, I’m not the type of guy who’s doing this for glory, I’m not ambitious in that regard. But still, the desire to be heard, to excel and to grow is always there. I know I will not abandon the Gospel, and I cannot abandon the preaching of it in one form or the other. But I also have to keep in mind that nothing (usually) happens overnight and nothing we do is in vain. Even if we don’t see it or hear about it, all our spirit-led actions have an eternal impact. Just read 1 Corinthians 15:58

 
So, my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Don’t let anything change you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. You know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.

English Revised Version

“With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort” The Message Translation

Nothing we do is in vain, no act of love or sacrifice we perform is wasted. We might not be able to see the impact or ripple effect of our actions now or even in this lifetime. But we will see it eventually, when all is wrapped up and the world is renewed. We have been used by God to sow little seeds of love that will eventually germinate and cover the whole earth.

Selah