When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.
-1 Corinthians 13:11

If you ask a little kid how babies are born, and then ask a mom of three kids the same question, the responses will differ considerably.

Your viewpoint of a process is based on your experience.

Before we started a church, I had preconceived notions about the creative process.
Now that I’ve seen my share of babies born, I think about that process much more realistically.

For example:

I used to think brilliant creative inspiration flowed in calm settings of tranquility.
Now I would tell you that my best creative ideas are hewn out of hard conversations, migraine level multi-tasking, and nearly neurotic obsession about details that seem silly and tedious.

I used to think that the most difficult part of the creative process was getting a good idea.
Ha!
Conception is the fun part!
Labor and delivery is the heroic stuff.
Lots of people can make a kid, or hatch a concept.
But to nurture, refine, and sustain that idea takes tenacity.

I used to think that when you had a killer idea, you’d just know it.
Now I think the better an idea is, the more prone you’ll be to second guessing, and the greater the temptation will be to quit before you get started good.

Growing in creativity means coming to terms with this reality:
The most beautiful ideas are often the product of an ugly, messy process.

The less time I spend waiting for the stork to bring me the next awesome vision, and the more I embrace the blood, tears, pain and joy of creativity, the better my babies turn out.

The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.
-Matthew 14:21

Jesus didn’t feed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish.
He fed a crowd of people that numbered 5,000-besides women and children.
But in those days, the women and children typically weren’t part of the headcount. Therefore, we typically refer to this incident as the feeding of the 5,000. Actually, it was more like 20,000, at the very least.

With this in mind, isn’t it remarkable that the ingredients for the miracle came from a little boy?

Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
-John 6:8-9

God fed the multitude through the meager resources of a child who wasn’t even included in the original count.

God likes the unlikely.
When He looks for someone to use, He often looks for the under looked.
He calls for the youngest son, who wasn’t even worth bringing in from the sheep field, from the perspective of his father and older brothers.

Be careful before you count someone out.
They might be the channel of your miracle.
And if you’ve been counted out lately, don’t worry.
God often hides His provision in places where no one else would know to look for them.
Man looks at the outward appearance. But God looks at the heart…

I love that word.
I’m going to start using it more often.

I feel sluggish today.
Nevertheless, I’m going to get up and get going. Even if my progress is slow, I’m going to move forward.

I’m offended by what they said to me.
Nevertheless, I will choose to forgive, and refuse to become bitter. God’s done too much for me to stay stuck in this.

Nobody seems to appreciate what I’m doing right now.
Nevertheless, I’m going to serve God wholeheartedly. My reward comes from the Lord, and He sees, and He knows, and that’s enough.

And on and on.

The Bible is full of nevertheless statements. Just a few examples:

God loves His children with a nevertheless love:
Ezekiel 16:60
Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.

Jesus calls us to follow Him with a nevertheless obedience:
Luke 5:5

And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

In Christ, we are called to a nevertheless faith:
Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

And on and on.

Add that adverb to your vocab today.
It sounds a little funny in our modern vernacular.
Nevertheless, there’s a lot of power in it.

The devil is a liar. That’s all he is, and he’s good at what he does.

He’ll tell you whatever he needs to tell you in order to trip you up, or keep you down.

And he’ll change up the delivery of his message depending on what you’re going through.
So when you’re suffering a trial, the devil will whisper a message of hopelessness to you.
He’ll say something like:
This will never end.

On the other hand, when you’re in a season of blessing, the devil will try to shake your confidence by telling you the exact opposite:
This will never last.

But trials do end. Joy comes in the morning. There is a mountain of victory on the other side of your valley.

And blessings do last. Even though seasons change, God’s favor is forever. He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

Don’t let the devil twist the truth.
Catch him in his lies, and stand on what God says.