Plodding Along

Plodding Along

July 31, 2019

I was encouraged a few days ago by an article in Our Daily Bread called “Plodding for God.” It referenced William Carey, who is known today as the father of modern missions. I doubt that people saw him as a visionary leader in his early years, but his accomplishments included learning Greek, Hebrew and Latin.

The story says that Carey translated the entire Bible into six languages and parts of it into 29 others. His child died and his wife had mental health problems. Perhaps the most difficult part of his life was the lack of response from the people he served. By every measure, he was a “plodder.”

Webster’s definition of a “plodder” sounds negative: “To walk or move heavily and laboriously; trudge; to work steadily and monotonously; drudge.” I suppose William Carey had days when his steps were heavy, but I doubt he spent a lot of time bemoaning his circumstances. He did not have time to do that and accomplish what he did.

I appreciate the word “steady” in the definition. It carries the idea of planned consistency and commitment over time. Every human needs someone or several people in our life who are an example of “steadiness.” Certain occupations demand this approach to life. Farmers cannot rush or delay the journey from planting to harvest. Parents get in trouble when they insist that children mature more quickly than is natural for them – or try to hold them back.

Plodding and maturity walk together. A steady journey facilitates maturity. Our fast-paced culture tends to promote a visionary focus over plodding that might take a long time to produce results.

William Carey was like the Apostle Paul, who never seemed to hurry or to lag behind as God directed him day by day. I appreciate the example of those men.

Pastor Bill Ehmann

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RECENT POSTS

“When Failure Succeeds”

By wvbaptist | October 20, 2016 | 0 Comments

October 19, 2016 Our culture places so much emphasis on success that we can easily forget the value of failure. The reality is that many people find it difficult to even talk about failure. We are a success-focused society. Success […]

“Routine or Rich?”

By wvbaptist | October 12, 2016 | 0 Comments

October 12, 2016 It would be interesting to know how many people consider their daily routine a rich experience. For those whose assignment is nearly identical day after day, the routine could become monotonous and even boring. It reminds me […]

“Is It That Important?”

By wvbaptist | October 6, 2016 | 0 Comments

October 5, 2016 Two well-known Christian leaders had a major disagreement over the interpretation of a Bible passage. It was not one of those non-negotiables like the deity of Jesus or the “one way” of Salvation, but it was important […]

“Hanging On – Letting Go”

By wvbaptist | September 29, 2016 | 0 Comments

September 28, 2016 I was sitting in a room filled with pastors who were discussing issues relevant to our profession. As I glanced around the room I realized that I was the “old guy” listening to a younger generation of […]

“Definition of Success”

By wvbaptist | September 22, 2016 | 0 Comments

September 22, 2016 A department store would define success according to the number of sales and the profit margin. A stockbroker is considered successful if investments turn out to be profitable. A student feels successful when receiving a degree or […]

Scroll to Top