Process

“There isn’t a path; but there is a way”- John Eldridge

It isn’t the spiritual tight-rope journey that Jesus has called us to. That was the way of the Pharisees. However there is a direction, a way, that God is pulling us in. The cosmic “pointing arrow” in which we are always somehow drawing closer to the Father and maturing in our spirits. Always.

God is a God of process. He is in it for the long haul. When He made the oak tree, He started with an acorn. When He wanted a leader, He let Moses practice on literal sheep for decades. When the flood wiped out civilization, He decided to repopulate the world with a handful of people, and a nine month gestation period at a time… then fifteen years of growing up… then we can continue the cycle…

He loves process.

Here’s the problem: Americans love product. When we need to pay for a meal we whip out the visa card, which happens to be attached to an account that we filled up with “direct deposit”. When grandma needs someone to visit, we struggle over the effort because it would mean fifteen minutes of driving to get to her house… fifteen minutes! When we need to tell someone about the new truck that we bought, we send out fifteen instant text messages in a minute and a half flat. A senior pastor might hire a twenty-two year old youth pastor because of his four year degree instead of bringing on the dad of four who has eighteen years of youth experience. Our idea of “trained professional” is someone who went to school for a handful of years.

Some of us are even guilty of eating “instant” cup of noodles.

Efficiency is our game; if it looks like there’s an investment of time in something, our commitment issues start flying to the surface.

But… He loves process.

I am guilty of having a very low value for time oriented growth. I have found myself of being the one who keeps telling God that as soon as I have the most amazing passion for praying, I’ll start to intercede more. Or as soon as He releases the Holy Spirit to open up the Heavens and descend upon me (in plain sight of everyone of course) then I’ll really lay down my life for Him. In fact… as soon as He tells me that from this moment on every person that I pray for will be healed, I will start praying for the sick and dying around me.

So we live our lives in the land of “as soon as”; and we never get around to the next step towards Him.

Sometimes we struggle with guilt over how little of His word we actually have a grasp on, or we are so sorrowed that we cant live up to Jesus’ perfection…

When we dwell on Jesus as a perfect man who was empowered by the Holy Spirit and who was fed off of every word that proceeded from the Father’s mouth, there are two mindsets that are revealed.
1. I can never get it all right, I struggle with hearing the Father’s voice, the power of the Spirit rarely seems to manifest in my life.
2. What an amazing example He showed us! I might not be there yet, but tomorrow is a new day. I’m going to see more Holy Spirit, and Hear more of the Father’s words. Watch out world… because He has gone before me!

He has provided a way, not a tight rope path, but a direction. Holy Spirit loves to take us there. He just knows it will take time. So it’s time… to agree with Him, and to learn to love process.

I desire to be a man after God’s heart; and I desire to be a different man in six months than I am now. I want it to be said of me that I am a masterful learner, and a teachable man. There is a posture that I will take on for the rest of my life; and it will allow me to learn from every day, every person, every breath, every flower, every art piece, and every word out of the mouth of God.

Tomorrow, I wont be Jesus.
In a week, I’ll be closer.
In a month, I’ll be different.
In a year, I’ll be new,
In a decade, I’ll be so much further.
And in a lifetime, I’ll be a novice; not by the worlds standards, but by choice.
Always teachable, always learning.
And all of Heaven and Hell will know my name.

“There isn’t a path; but there is a way.” John Eldridge