Enjoying The Process

I Thessalonians 5:23

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Psalm 1:3

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.



While buckling my seat belt, the airplane pilot usually takes advantage of any downtime by giving vital information, like: the weather forecast and gate assignments. However, what he/she probably enjoys the most is saying, “Leave the flying to us, folks. So, just sit back, relax and enjoy the flight.” (Of course, it’s a little more difficult to relax on some of the trans-oceanic flights.)

This “enjoying the ride” is something every believer should take advantage of. We can find joy in the journey – and peace in the process. Herein lays a real challenge for most of us. Some would rather have a “snap your fingers” and “wave your wand” experience with God, but this is not God’s way. He is into “the process”. How? Thanks for asking!

In the natural, we see the four seasons of the year and the cycle of life. If one could snap his fingers and instantly move from season to season, we could not enjoy watching the process of change. Time is also a process: past, present and future.

The “test” in the testimony is the part we like the least. But how could we truly declare the “goodness and ability of God” if God does as suggested – wave a wand and get us out of our stuff? Enjoying the process definitely makes the journey that much sweeter!

(Surely, one of the major disillusions awaiting Christians today is misunderstanding “the process”. However, in this case, disillusionment can actually turn out to be a good thing. In the positive sense of the word, “disillusion” equates to being “free from illusion”. But remember: the truth will set us free!)

Another way of describing “the process” in the life of the Christian is taking a look at three specific words in our opening text: Spirit, Soul and Body. These words suggest that we are part of a Metamorphosis, or in the on-going “process of change”.

Every year the beautiful Monarch Butterfly returns to Michiocan, Mexico. It must be a sight to behold, as millions of these majestic butterflies assemble there. But if the Monarch was to allow its past to predict its future, you and I would not see its beauty. The Monarch Butterfly experiences the process of change, going from an egg, to the larvae, to the pupa, and then to the adult butterfly. 1 There are equally ugly and beautiful stages in its life.

You and I go through a similar metamorphosis, but ours is spiritual. Jeremiah 1:5 helps us to further establish this, saying, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations”.

God foreknew Jeremiah and called him to be a prophet to the nations. So, even as a child, Jeremiah could equally say, “I am a prophet”, “I am being trained to be a prophet”, and “I will be a prophet”. Applying this biblical precedent to our life, we can say, “I am saved (I am perfect, holy, etc.)”, “I am being saved (I am being perfected, made holy, etc.)”, and “I will be saved” (I will be perfect, holy, etc.)

The spiritual life of a Christian is all about the process of “becoming what I already am”, or “I am what I shall be”. The Bible states that we go from: glory to glory, strength to strength, and faith to faith. If we understand it’s all about the process, we won’t totally lose heart when we mess up the next time. Yes, the goodness of God leads to repentance. But God doesn't condemn us. His love understands the process and easily says, I forgive you". This is part of the check and balance system God offers in His kingdom.

One last thought: according to Psalm 1:3, the phrase – “And he shall be like a” – comes from the Hebrew word “Hayah”, meaning “it shall come to pass”. If we can get a vision for where we are going and whom God has called (and declared) us to be, the Lifter of our heads, Jesus, can help us to see the many pitfalls before us. God watches over His Word to perform it. “It shall come to pass”, because He is doing a great work in us, as we are going through "the stuff".

Whatever your “stuff” is, you can go through it much easier when you know God is working His good pleasure in you. Say “Hayah” to your neighbor. He or she might think you’re talking Karate language or something, but them the truth: “It shall come to pass”. See ya 'round the victory circle!



1. http://www.earthlife.net/insects/lifecycles.html