Learning to thrive in the process

One of the many things that I love about David is that any way you slice him, at any point in his journey, he is thriving. Certainly he had his ups and downs, yet, he knew the value of embracing the process and learning to thrive in it. In fact, it was because of his willingness to submit to the timing of God and the process of God that I believe he was able to leave such a legacy and finish well. It is the process that prepares you for the calling and purposes of God on your life.  

  I am saddened by a trend I have noticed in my generation. This certainly isn’t true for everyone, but is becoming increasingly more common. I see a lot of young people that burn with zeal for God. They have said yes to Him and are ready to change the world. Many (this was me) are eager to drop out of school and move overseas immediately. What’s more, many of those same people want to start their own ministry, organization, or orphanage. Now, I want to be careful not to be overly critical of this, as it must all be weighed with, “God, what are you saying for me?” However, I have noticed an aversion to serving, an aversion to submission to spiritual authority and covering, and an aversion to serving another’s vision and help make it a reality. In other words, the desire to skip steps and rush the process is becoming increasingly prevalent. Part of me understands this as I have been wrestling with these feelings recently myself. For me, this past season has been one of continually laying down my agenda and dreams in order to say yes to the process and timing of God.

Since I graduated from the University of Oklahoma in May of 2012, God has been continually teaching me about process and how valuable it is. Here are a few things I have learned over the past 9 months:

1.     You are not as ready as you think you are.

2.     God doesn’t place Spiritual authority in your life to hinder you, rather, to ensure you reach your fullest potential in God.

3.     Self-promotion is a form of manipulation and control. Essentially, it’s telling God you don’t trust Him.

4.     Promotion is from the Lord.

5.     The process prepares you to walk in your prophecies.

We see the process work time and again in the Bible:

-       Joseph endured many hard years before he lived in the fulfillment of his God-given dreams.

-       David was anointed king and then ran for his life for the next 17 years until he walked in that anointing.

-       Nehemiah was taken captive and forced to serve a foreign king for years until he began the work God had for him.

-       Jesus lived for 30 years until He began His ministry and fulfilled His purpose.

 If you find yourself in the smack dab middle of the process take heart. You are not alone. The process works and is what prepares you for your calling. Shortcuts are dangerous. Out of season is dangerous. Imagine removing a baby from its mother’s womb at five months because you simply couldn’t wait for it to be born. Unthinkable right? Yet, we often do this with our calling and purpose.

                     
  I will end by sharing a few things that have helped me to thrive in the process: 

1.Choose to be faithful in what God has given you in this season no matter how small or seemingly insignificant.

2. Thriving is a choice.

3.  Embrace the process.

[He]… has given us everything we need for life and godliness.

2 Peter 1:3