I was on a call with my boss and she asked, “Deanna, what do you think about the new project?”
“Well, I’m not ready to say yet, because my ideas are like cake batter and not fully baked.” I hoped using an analogy would help her understand that I wanted more time to reflect.
“I don’t care if your thoughts are only cake batter, I want you to share them now.”
So, I shared my recommendations. My leader liked my suggestions and decided to implement them.
Several leaders over the years told me to speed up my thinking time and to speak before I felt ready. One told me not to get stuck in “analysis paralysis.” Another told me to share my ideas when I thought they were only 70% ready. He said, “Your 70% is pretty good!”
The word ponder appeals to me. It means to think about or to reflect on, quietly and deeply. At every age and stage, I desired to spend time deep in thought and reflection on the people and happenings in my life.
I’ve always loved to learn and was a good student at school, church, and home. At church I enjoyed learning about Jesus. I delighted to hear the Bible stories my Sunday school teachers shared, as they moved flannelgraph characters around on a felt board. At home, Mom would often share lessons with me before she taught them to her kindergarten class.
When I was in middle school, I began to journal my observations and thoughts about life, people, and God – and I never stopped. Later, I chose a career path that included workplace education and development. Ministries I volunteered for included Bible study and teaching.
Working in the corporate world taught me that it wasn’t good to spend too much time in reflection. So, I developed the ability to expedite my thinking and analysis, and move more swiftly to action and implementation.
Outside of work, there’d been times I missed out on an opportunity because I was, “still thinking about it.” On certain occasions I told the Lord, “I’m not ready yet.” Of course, He knew that I was ready, but was still pondering things.
I took what I’d learned at work and applied it in other areas of my life. Over time, and through trial and error, I improved. As I acted on what I’d pondered, and applied what I learned, I experienced growth in body, soul, and spirit.
Related Scriptures:
- Proverbs 4:26a (KJV) “ponder the path of thy feet.”
- Proverbs 4:13 (WEB) “Take firm hold of instruction. Don’t let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.”
- Ecclesiastes 11:6 (WEB) “In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.”
Application Questions:
- Do you prefer to focus more on thinking and reflecting or on speaking and acting?
- Is there something you’d like to do more, or less of?
- What is one thing you could do, to grow in this area?
