I can distinctly remember seeing my first “instant” photo develop. It was back in the dark ages of 1972. It was a miracle! Up to that time, you took pictures, but you had to wait a time for them to be processed. It was an assumption that after a week you would finally receive those photos, developed and a bit expensive.
As I watched the Polaroid develop before my eyes, something happened to me. Metaphorically a train was passing by, called technology, and I immediately jumped on board. My family upbringing was pathetically poor, but that didn’t matter. I was finally moving in a direction that made sense. And we all were on a more equal footing.
Those early “instant” photos, starting from a glop of blue-grey would change into a pretty neat image, right before your eyes. You did nothing, maybe you shook it in order to dry it quicker. Within minutes something tangible would happen. You would have a great photo of Uncle Willy.
I don’t want to be melodramatic, but I think we profoundly changed when we finally discovered the Polaroid instant camera. Polaroid sold millions within months. They couldn’t keep them in stores–they sold-out! And yet, in retrospect it was just a baby-step into our technology of today. Yet, it was the first step, and we would never be the same.
In the presence of the Lord God, we discover many moments like this. He continually reveals himself in fresh and wondering ways. He astonishes us with continually fresh and spiritually amazing ways. As we come to know him, even deeper and more profound. We stand in the driveway and watch our understanding develop. It is a process that insists on staggering us. He is not a novelty gadget, he is everlasting. We choose to wait on Him.
Broken Believers 