God’s Timetable Doesn’t Refresh Hourly

Letting your art come from communion, not striving

We’re cooked, folks.
Actually, let me speak for myself.

Social media has quietly trained me to relate to God in an entitled way. I do not want to blame it entirely, but it plays a part. We live in a culture where everything you want is expected to be yours for the taking. And if you are not chasing a dream or grinding toward success, you are labeled lazy or undeserving.

Without noticing, social media can convince us that we are supposed to receive immediate praise, instant clarity, and answers from God on demand. It begins to shape how we pray, how we wait, and how we work. The result is not just impatience, but discouragement, especially when you see people younger than you succeeding in the very things you feel called to do.

That comparison eats at you quietly and quickly.

Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea that it takes 10,000 hours of focused, dedicated practice to master a craft. That is roughly 40 hours a week for five years. But if I am being honest, photography has taught me that it may take longer. Ten years even.

Photography is a mature medium. It teaches you to slow down, to notice life as it is, and to find meaning in ordinary moments. It rewards patience and emotional clarity, not just technical skill.

I have come across photographers whose most meaningful books or projects took 10, 20, even 50 years to complete. Saul Leiter photographed the streets of New York for decades before receiving wide recognition. Roy DeCarava spent over 40 years documenting Harlem with quiet grace. Wendy Ewald worked collaboratively with children across cultures for decades. Eugene Richards’s The Blue Room was shaped by nearly 15 years of rural observation and grief. These photographers were not rushing, they were rooted.

They worked in silence, without applause, guided only by vision and consistency. That kind of practice is not trendy, but it is powerful. It is not about hype, it is about legacy.

So I remind myself, and maybe you too, to let your art come from communion with Jesus, not striving for a platform, money or recognition. Make what you are called to make. Share it, not for validation, but in faith.

If God has placed a dream in you, He is also forming the character and patience to carry it. He will not rush what He intends to last. That includes your creativity.

“For promotion does not come from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south, but God is the judge. He puts down one and exalts another.”
Psalm 75:6–7

and,

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time.”
1 Peter 5:6

So keep stacking the work.
Keep building the archive no one sees yet.
Stay close to God and stay present in the moment, with thanksgiving.
The timetable of heaven does not refresh hourly, and that is a gift.

You are not behind. You are being formed.
So stay in the work, definitely stay in the Word, and trust the One who called you to it.