Thursday, May 19, 2011

Processing the Process

"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures."
-John F. Kennedy (Former President of the United States)

I am a fan of the process.

"The process of what?" one may ask. Am I a fan of the process of building new products, inventions, or even ideas into a tangible reality? Am I fan of the process of destroying an older, outdated method of thought? Or is it that I am a fan of the process of making myself into a better person physically, mentally, and spiritually speaking?

The answer is yes to all of the above.

I am a fan of the process.


Many influential and world-changing people, from Napoleon Bonaparte to Abraham Lincoln, from King Richard the Lionheart to Bill Gates (not the best comparisons, mind you), have had to endure a process of some kind or another, many of which requires great investments of time, money, and even their own families and lives. In the end, however, all these people ended up where they felt they were "called" to go, whether they felt led by God or by some other force they believed in.

I believe that it is this process in our lives that defines the true reality of what God tries to show us on a second-by-second, day-to-day basis. The phrase, "Overnight Success" does not exist in God's vocabulary and I believe most Christians today have a very, VERY hard time understanding this truth. I struggle with this on a daily basis, as well, as I have to keep reminding myself that I am constantly in a process of change or in a process of forward momentum.

Jesus is also a partaker in the processes He was involved in during His time here on Earth. Although you don't hear much about the years before His ministry started on Earth, I am led to believe that Jesus underwent a process to not only strengthen His resolve of love among the people but to fortify His mind with the scriptures His people have come to learn and follow, albeit not to its full extent. There is little talk or scripture evident from His experience as a young boy in the temple of Jerusalem (Luke 2:41-52) to when he set off to begin His ministry on earth. I did take notice to what is written in verse 52:

(after the events in Jerusalem) "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."

What really stuck out to me in this verse is the verb grew. It says that Jesus grew in both wisdom and stature. You would think that the Son of God would have it all figured out, that He would be all gung-ho, pedal-to-the-flo, never asking for mo' joe or dough as soon as He was able to walk (this is why I'm not a singer). Still, my point is valid - why would the King of Kings need to grow in the wisdom that is His to begin with?

It's because He's a fan of the process!

Jesus understood the necessity of the process better than anyone, including Mary and Joseph (see Luke 2:49-50). He understood that with the calling His Father has placed upon Him, He would need to be patient, submissive to the will of those placed in authority (even if it was only temporary), and that He would need to gain favor with both God and man (end of verse 52). We don't see Him utilize this in just this part of the Gospel, either. He endures quite a few processes throughout scripture, most notably the 40-day fast in the wilderness (see Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13), which allowed Jesus to gain more wisdom and stature for the upcoming miracles, recruitment of His personal disciples, and ultimately His big day on Mount Calvary.

While our "process" may not end in being crucified on a cross to rise up three days later, it is nevertheless as important to understand that God has something HUGE in store for those who not only love Him (Romans 8:28) but endure the process He has set before us. Like Jesus, we have to be patient, wait upon God to realize our true potential in Him (see Psalm 37:7 and Isaiah 40:31), and keep moving forward to win the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24).

Always remember that following and pursuing after Jesus will constantly keep you in a process of some kind, whether it is to allow you to grow in wisdom and stature or to align your perspective on one that is heaven-bound. No process that God places you in will ever weaken or detract from your identity in Him, so make the most of the process and continue growing. When you can continuously embrace these processes, you will become a fan of the process, as well!