It's Not Just a Boulder, It's a Rock

I recently found myself thinking about a SpongeBob SquarePants episode that I hadn’t seen in years. SpongeBob and Squidward are lost in the wilderness while trying to deliver a pizza. At one point, they come across a large rock. Squidward sees just a boulder. SpongeBob sees a rock. And not just any rock. SpongeBob sees a means of transportation that could help them get out of the wilderness. Same object. Different perspectives. I’m cooking, give me a second.

Now, technically, Squidward wasn’t wrong. A boulder is a large rock. Every boulder is a rock, but not every rock is a boulder. But the scene made me think about something much bigger because, of course, everything has a lesson if you look for it.

Sometimes what someone sees is true, but it isn’t the whole truth. Someone can see where you are without being able to see where you’re going. Someone can accurately describe your current season without knowing what God is developing through it. And sometimes, we make the same mistake ourselves. We look at what is happening right now and assume it tells us everything we need to know about what God is doing. It’s a very human thing to do: make a judgment based on what we can see. And Scripture gives us plenty of examples.

Joseph’s brothers saw a younger brother who was irritating, presumptuous, and seemingly convinced that one day they would bow down to him. They didn’t see a future ruler. They didn’t see the man who would eventually oversee Egypt’s resources during a famine. They certainly didn’t see the brother who God would use to preserve their lives.

They saw enough of Joseph to form an opinion, and honestly, Joseph gave them plenty of material to work with.  He was arguably a braggart who had some growing to do. But their assessment of his immaturity wasn't the entirety of who Joseph was or what God was doing through his life. Years later, Joseph would tell them:

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.”

— Genesis 50:20

Their perception didn’t determine, undermine, or negate Joseph’s purpose. Their rejection didn’t cancel God’s plan. And their inability to see what Joseph would become didn’t prevent him from becoming it.  

A boulder is a rock, and in SpongeBob's case, that rock was also transpo ( short for transportation 😉). Joseph was a braggart and an instrument God used to save lives.

David’s story gives us another picture. When Samuel came to Jesse’s house looking for the next king, David wasn’t even initially considered. His father presented his other sons. David was outside tending sheep. He was the youngest. He looked like a boy because he was a boy. But God (to be read as But Gawd 🤗) saw beyond what everyone else could see. When Samuel saw Eliab and thought he might be the one, God reminded him:

“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

— 1 Samuel 16:7

Eventually, David was brought in, and God told Samuel to anoint him. David was still young. He was still a shepherd. He still had a lot of growing to do. And yet he had been anointed king. David was a boy and a king in the making at the same time.

That matters because sometimes we think we have to already look like what God has called us to become before we can believe that calling is real. But David’s story reminds us that our current description doesn't have to be our final one. David was a boy. Joseph was a braggart. Neither description was false. Neither description was complete.

And I’m telling y’all I’m struggling with this in real time while building BMB House. Right now, BMB House is in its very humble beginnings. I’m operating out of my apartment, managing almost every aspect by myself, and learning how to handle accounting, marketing, and logistics with limited resources. I can envision things that haven’t happened yet, like hosting larger community events, mentoring young entrepreneurs, or expanding into a Christian publishing house. There are things I’m praying about that I can’t point to as evidence yet; I can’t even fathom it. And things I’m building that other people may not fully understand, like the long hours invested behind the scenes.

And honestly, there are moments when being at the beginning makes it difficult to stay encouraged about what the end is going to be. I know what I want BMB House to become. I know what I believe God has placed in me to build. But knowing what something could become doesn’t make the current version any less small.

BMB House is a new, small, humble business. And yes, there is no guarantee that it will become everything I envision. I don't get to write the ending and then ask God to bless the script. But what I can say is this: I’m fighting to persist to the end to find out.

Because David didn’t have the throne yet, he didn’t wake up one morning as the king sitting on Israel’s throne. There was a process between the anointing and the throne. And Joseph didn’t go from having a dream to running Egypt overnight. There was a pit, slavery, imprisonment, waiting, and preparation in between. And neither of them needed their future to be visible to everyone for God to be working and faithful in the present.

So I’m learning to internalize that small doesn’t mean insignificant. Being unknown doesn’t mean being unseen by God. Not having everything figured out doesn’t mean there isn’t something worth building. And having a poor description attached to you, whether it’s lazy, rude, undependable, immature, or whatever it may be, doesn’t mean you have to carry that description for the rest of your days. Sometimes the description is even accurate; it just doesn't have to become your identity or your character.

I don’t need BMB House to look like everything I believe it can become today to be faithful with what God has given me to do now. And I don't have to turn a description of where I am into a prophecy about where I'll end up. The beginning isn’t the entirety of the story; it's simply where I am right now.

Caution

But here’s where I think we have to be careful. This isn’t a message telling us to decide we’re destined for greatness and ignore anyone who disagrees. 🗣️

Not every criticism is persecution. Not every rejection means people failed to recognize our greatness. Sometimes people see something in us that we genuinely need to address. David did need correction. Joseph definitely had growing to do. And we do too. The point is that someone else’s perception of you isn’t automatically the final authority on who or what God can do through you.

So how do we know which feedback to take to heart? I think it takes some prayerful discernment. Ask God for clarity: Is this correction meant to help me grow, or is it just discouragement that I need to let go of? Pay attention to whether the feedback lines up with His Word and the direction you sense He is leading you. Sometimes God confirms truth through others, even if it stings. Other times, He helps you recognize when someone’s words don’t reflect His heart for you. Invite trusted, godly people to speak into your life, and stay teachable enough to consider their input honestly. And always bring it back to God: “Lord, what are You saying to me through this?”

The question isn’t: “Do people see what I see in myself?” The better question is: “What has God actually said, and am I allowing Him to shape me into it?” Because biblical confidence isn’t confidence that I will become whatever I imagine. It’s confidence that God is faithful to what He has said.

So, yes.  It was a boulder and a rock. Squidward saw “just a boulder.” SpongeBob saw transportation. Joseph was a braggart and eventually became an instrument God used to preserve lives. His brothers saw just an annoyance, and God's purposes for Joseph extended far beyond their perception of him. David was a boy and a king in the making. His family saw just a shepherd boy who wasn’t worth bringing inside. God saw beyond that too. It’s giving big G, not the little. Yes, BMB is in the very humble beginning phase. But is that it? No. At least I don’t believe it is.

And so maybe that’s where you’re finding yourself, too. Maybe you’re looking at your life and thinking, This isn’t what I thought it would look like by now. Maybe you're looking at your business or your Kingdom contribution idea and thinking it will not come to be, or you don’t see any fruit. Maybe you looked at the beginning and decided it must also be the end. You might have also looked at what you are today and assumed that’s all you’ll ever be. Or maybe someone else has reduced you to just your past, your current position, your mistakes, your age, your circumstances, or the season you’re in. Or maybe nobody reduced you to anything at all. Maybe you have. 😅

But take heart. Being misunderstood doesn’t mean you’re mistaken. Being overlooked doesn’t mean you’re insignificant. And being in the beginning doesn’t mean the beginning is all there is.

But don’t use that as an excuse to skip the process. Don’t rush just because you’re eager for people to see what God is doing. Let God develop you in the places where nobody is watching. Let Him correct what needs correcting. Let Him strengthen what is weak. Let Him mature what is immature. And let Him determine when what He’s been doing in secret becomes visible in public.

After all, David was still a boy when he was anointed king. Joseph was still Joseph when his brothers threw him into the pit. And BMB House is still BMB House in its humble beginnings.

So if all you see right now is the boulder, the boy, the braggart, or the beginning, remember: the present is real, but your perspective is limited. You may not know what God is doing yet. You may not know what this season will produce. You may not even know whether the thing you're building will become what you imagined.

But you can know this: you don't have to see the whole picture to be faithful with what God has placed in front of you today. You can be in the beginning and still be on your way.