Progress is a Process
Who doesn’t want to save a little time? I know I do! Walk down any aisle at a grocery store and you’ll find instant pudding, instant mashed potatoes, instant breakfast drinks and instant coffee, just to name a few. They even offer instant pain relief. We have other opportunities to make our lives easier, too. Two of my personal favorites are Instacart and my Instantpot. Spend enough time on social media and you’ll find offers for instant success so your life can be all that you want it to be and more.
We live in an instant gratification world. We have endless opportunities to save time by not having to wait or go through the process of all the steps to do what we want or need to do. And in most cases, it’s easier, but not always better. As much as I like Instacart, not all shoppers shop how I would shop. Instant pain relief, in my experience, doesn’t happen as quickly as I’d like and isn’t always effective. And if you’re a rookie at pressure cookers like the Instantpot, you probably have an interesting story or two to tell. Or maybe that’s just me!
Sometimes though, in life, we don’t get to eliminate steps and instant isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Maybe there’s something you’re in the middle of right now and you wish you could close your eyes and skip to the ending. Preferably one that’s happy. Maybe what you’re experiencing is so painful that you’re longing for some of that instant pain relief. I understand. Pain, loss, anxiety, hurt, struggle and heartaches are hard.
Lately I’ve been trying to see going through a painful or challenging process through a different perspective. Process, by definition, is a series of actions or steps that we need to take. Sometimes those steps are going to be difficult. It might feel like we stumble or even fall. Sometimes it can feel like someone pulls the rug right out from under us before we even get a chance to move or hang on in an attempt for balance. It might also seem like we can’t even see where to step let alone take it. Or, we might just be afraid to move at all.
If any of this hits close to home, I want to encourage you with something. Progress is a process. Every single step. And God is in our process. He’s been there from the very beginning…way back to the creation. He never left. He never will. It’s a promise.
God might not eliminate any steps or change our circumstances, but we are His personal work in process. We don’t have to look at our lives through fear, frustration or failure. God restores. We just have to trust His timing and in His promises. We get to trust in His timing and promises! Even when we don’t see instant results. (Psalm 37:23-24)
All of the everything we go through, the good, bad, ugly, etc, God uses for good and to grow us in our faith, which ultimately grows us closer to Him. I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be. I hope that’s as reassuring to you as it is to me. We get to lean into Him and embrace the process of our journey. We can take it one step at a time, together, with God.