Digital cameras are amazing. You can see something that you like, capture an image, and evaluate it on the spot. If you are not satisfied, you can keep taking pictures until you get one you like.
Photography was not always this way though.
I remember when you had to buy film for your camera. Typically, you were limited to 12 or 24 exposures, so you had to use them wisely. When you took a picture, you never knew exactly what you had. All you could do was hope that it turned out well.
Eventually, you took the film in to be developed, waited a week or so, and then you could finally get your pictures.
As silly as it sounds, part of the fun with film photography was the waiting. The delay from the time you took a picture until you saw it was often measured in months. I still remember the thrill of coming out of McMaster’s Photography in Moose Jaw with an envelope of photos just waiting to be opened. There was something special about a picture that you planned, took, and waited to receive.
Interestingly, faith works in similar ways.
Some people are like digital cameras. When they hear the good news, they respond immediately and never look back. You might put the Apostle Paul in this category. He was an enemy of the faith when Jesus met him on the road to Damascus, but that one encounter changed him on the spot (Acts 9).
Others are more like film photography. They respond more slowly, and their faith takes longer to develop. Peter is a good example here. When Jesus calls, Peter follows but his journey is not without stumbles and missteps along the way. It takes some time for Peter to become the rock that Jesus predicted he would become (Matthew 16:18).
Actually, when you think about it, both digital and film photography require a process. One is just much quicker than the other.
Therefore, the key is to commit to whatever process you are in. Allow God to work and do whatever he needs to in, through, and by you. When we do that, something wonderful will develop.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
