Trust the Process
It always starts with a vision. We have a desired outcome, and we also have ability. We say, “If I can just (insert tasks here) I will get (insert results here). This strategy works most of the time, but sometimes the process is painful, laborious, with no end in sight. The results aren’t forthcoming. Not from what we can see, anyway. We spin our wheels wondering how, if we are exerting so much effort, nothing seems to be happening.
When I start to draw, at first you can hardly recognize what I’m trying to create. I start with thin, tentative lines as I create the basic shapes. If you look at at the sketch that accompanies this post, you can see how scratchy it is. You can identify the hand, but as I drew it in haste, it shows. It doesn’t have the finished look of a completed piece of artwork.
Far too often, we don’t put in the work we need to get the results we want. Taking shortcuts never results in quality work. It also never results in growth and improvement. There is a difference between making a task more efficient and taking a shortcut to avoid the work. Understand that working towards a big goal doesn’t just involve completion of the tasks needed to get the job done. There are a myriad of relationships and resources to be considered. Here are a few:
Your relationship with God - Who told you to do what you are doing? What’s driving you to do the thing you want to do? Is it a download into your spirit or an idea influenced by the need for competition with or recognition by others?
Your relationship with the work - Is this work itself that you enjoy? Do you find yourself getting lost in it, so that hours pass by without you noticing? Is it just a means to an end, or a means to a check? Do you see purpose in it?
Your relationship with yourself - Do you see worth in what you have to offer the world? Do you recognize and value your unique gifts and perspective? Do you see yourself as a creation of God with a purpose you must work to fulfill, or are you just going through the motions of Life, knowing there is more, but wondering if “more” is for you.
Your relationship with others - Are you working with people to achieve your goals, or are you using them to check the boxes on your to-accomplish list? Are you valuing their time and talent, or are you exploiting their gifts to advance your personal agenda? We think of ourselves as good people, but the truth is we do this very often. If you recognize how someone can serve you, recognize also that their gift is valuable. Respect them as creations of God, as you are, and seek to partner with them to fulfill a mutual purpose - God’s plan. He will place the right people in your path if you place yourself in alignment with His will. And this one is a doozie… Are you on a mission to serve others? Are you driven by knowing you’re being helpful and blessing others by your work?
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. “ - Ephesians 2:10
If we are God’s workmanship, there’s a specific function for us. So many of us forget this. Anyone who makes anything makes it for it to fulfill a purpose. Understanding you are God’s creation tells you that your Life is on purpose and for a purpose.
The created thing must be put to work to do what it was made to do, or what’s the point? The work is a process. The process is a means to God’s end. We need to not only trust the process, but trust in the fact that there needs to be a process. We need to let patience have its perfect work, that we may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:4). Being complete doesn’t mean we have everything we want. Rather, it means we have the resource of connection to God, who can provide all we need. Being perfect doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes. Rather, it means we are forgiven and corrected by a loving Father who wants to improve us.
The process isn’t torture. Yes, it tests you. It tests your patience. It tests your endurance, but it’s necessary for your triumph. A runner who has given his all during the race may collapse as soon as he crosses the finish line. He may have done three laps around the track to finish. He may have put in hundreds of hours of training and practice. Training is a process of incremental challenges. It builds endurance and strength. You can’t compete in an area you are unwilling to train in. Even if you have natural ability you need to hone your skills to become the best you can be. You need to build on the gift. Gifts and talents are not enough. It’s tempting to want to rush the process when you know what you want the end result to be, but the true prize at the end of it all isn’t what you create through your work. It’s what is created within you through the One who sent you on your mission.