Time Flow - Part Two: The Rhythm of Greatness

Plant, Cultivate, Harvest

What we do, what we don’t do, when we do, when we don’t do, how we do, how we don’t do, why we do, why we don’t do, what we think, what we don’t think, how we see, how we fail to see, our daily rhythms transform us over time, in our minds, actions, and hearts. 

Our daily rhythm determines who we are and who we are becoming.  Despite technological advances in a rapidly changing world, the human rhythm remains the same, deeply embedded in our existence for thousands of years: plant, cultivate, harvest. Many people in our instant-gratification-culture want to skip to the harvest, but planting and cultivating prepare one for the harvest.  "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."[i]  It's the work that makes the harvest plentiful.  It's the rhythm of life that creates the symphony.

·      Plant:  The Shift and a vibrant Vision of my Calling.

·      Cultivate: A plan designed with daily desire, determination, and discipline, acting daily on that plan.

·      Harvest: The manifestation of my Greatness and my Calling in my life and transforming or blessing the lives of others.

Here’s the thing, if I want to grow weeds in my garden, I don’t have to do anything, right?  They’re going to come up regardless.  

But if I want to grow flowers and plants, those tomatoes for my salsa this summer, I am going to have to do some things!  I am going to have to plant the plants, water them, pull the weeds, protect the plants from pests and certain types of weather and let time do its work.  Over time, with some tending to the garden, tomatoes will grow, and I will reap some killer salsa!  Our minds, heck, our lives are gardens!  If we don’t tend to them intentionally, time marches forward and we get weeds.  We must tend our minds, hearts, and bodies and, in turn, our lives!

When we make The Shift and express our Calling, we plant a new perspective in our minds, just as the gardener plants the seed in fertile soil.  The gardener waters the ground, ensures the sprout gets sunlight, spreads fertilizer, and pulls weeds threatening to destroy the sprout.  Likewise, we practice activities based on The Shift, helping our Dream take root and blossom, and we weed out any ideas, practices, people, and stories not serving The Shift and our Dream.

Over time the plant the gardener has nurtured produces fruit, and he harvests, tasting the fruit of his labor.  The gardener shares the abundance of his harvest with others.  Likewise, over time our Dream comes to fruition, and we taste our success.  Our Dream serves others, and they are blessed by our labor. Like the gardener, when it comes to our Dream, we plant, cultivate, and harvest.

Time-Lapse Photography

And this leads me to time-lapse photography (OK, I know it’s a stretch, but go with me.).  It is really cool to watch time-lapse photography.  Maybe you have seen some with, say, a flower, the seasons, or the transformation of a caterpillar to butterfly.  Whatever you have seen, here’s the thing about it that I find so fascinating.  You see an entire cycle of growth with a flower or you see the entire change of seasons in just a few short seconds or minutes.

But here’s the kicker:  If you were an observant person (who never slept of course!), you could see the same exact thing without a camera or fast-motion.  What happens in time-lapse photography is happening in real-time first!  It’s just that the change is so seemingly subtle, we never really notice.  We take the transformation of the seasons for granted.  We don’t see the clouds change throughout the day.  We don’t see the flower grow and blossom throughout the week.

All of a sudden, or so it seems, one day it’s cold and snowing!  We didn’t notice the chill in the air of the morning the past two months.  We didn’t think about how the daylight hours were diminishing.  Nope.  Just boom!  It’s winter!

Now, like me, you might be saying, “I don’t have time to sit around and look at trees change in the season!  Who does?”  Well, a time-lapse photographer does evidently!  But the way time works in the world and my view of how time works is very different it seems. Let’s just be honest, it seems like nature is so slow!  And isn’t that the rub?  We take for granted the constant, powerful changes in the world because it seems to be moving so slowly.

But here’s the thing.  Time-lapse photography always shows me just how incredibly active creation is.  I think what I really need to do is view my daily life through the eyes of a time-lapse photographer.  The seemingly insignificant things I do every day add up over time, until huge changes have taken place in my life?  I realize the rhythm of my life and the rhythm of the world, while seeming very different, are actually one, so I continue to live my rhythm with patient, time-lapse eyes, pointed toward the prize, my Greatness and my Dream.  I plant, cultivate, and wait for harvest.

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[i] Matthew 9:37, Luke 10:2

Chapter 14: The Three R’s of Self-Destruction