Worms in the Nest

I had the great privilege of listening to Andy Andrews speak this morning in our company's weekly devotional. While he was speaking, Andy threw out a quote that was heavily tweeted on Twitter by my fellow coworkers. He said, "God feeds the birds, but He doesn't throw the worms in their nests."

As I'm pursuing publication and chasing my writing dream, I'm finding God pushing me in small ways toward my success. Every request for a partial manuscript, every positive rejection, and even every form rejection letter is a worm. It is up to me to find the worms; God's already placed them where they need to be in my life.

It isn't easy to hear a no. Over the past week, I've gotten my fair share of nos. (Is that a word?) But I'm starting to look at them as stepping stones, and I don't even flinch anymore when I receive one. I'm still trying, I'm still writing, and I'm learning lessons along the way. In his new book Quitter, Jon Acuff talks about gaining maturity before you're ready for the realization of a dream. If I'd found success three years ago, I might not have been ready. If' I'd found it a year ago, I would've been more ready but not quite there yet. And if I find it this year, will I be ready? I don't know yet, but I do know that there is no such thing as an overnight success. We receive our successes in God's time, and we learn from the stumbles we make along the way.