I am such a "product person". I have always enjoyed the end result over the process. Perhaps, this could be attributed to my lack of patience, or possibly, my competitive nature. Whatever the reason, I am all about the finish line. This is kind of sad because I know that there are so many incredible benefits from the process that I have a habit of ignoring. I have a tendency to miss things along the way because I want to travel at such a fast pace. I don't always appreciate the little blessings, I seldom learn from the lessons and I lose out on the part in life where we do the living. Don't get me wrong, when it comes to Lydia, I can easily sit back and enjoy the ride. I take in every new thought and activity. I appreciate the large stretch of time between each stage. I treasure the moments. Why can't I learn to love the process of times of refinement as much as my times with my daughter?
There has been one song running through my head the last few days. I don't even remember where I learned it, but I know it follows me back to my childhood.
Little by little, inch by inch,
by the yard it's hard, by the inch what a cinch,
never stare up the stairs just step up the steps,
little by little, inch by inch.
These simple words have spoken so much to me at different times in my life. Currently, they speak to me about the physical transformation I am working toward for but also to the emotional change I am praying for during this process with the Lord. The road I am on is long. I anticipate great things from this process but I can't help but sometimes wonder how I will ever make it to through.
"Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it."(v.11-14)
If I can believe everything else God's Word days, I can surely believe this. I realize these were words for the Israelites first. God wanted them to have confidence and to believe they were capable. He wanted them to see their strength through Him. He wanted them to stick it out until the end. There was a finish line. God had a promised land He was taking them to. He knew there were going to make it. He also knew that were going to mess up along the way but He kept pushing for them to persevere. The Word was very near to them - the Word, being Christ, just as it is said in John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God and the Word was with God..."I believe the above verses are also referring to the Shema which we have previously focused on in Deuteronomy 6: "Hear O Israel, the Lord Your God is One." God had made a covenant with them. Remember, "The Lord Your God, will circumcize your hearts and the hearts of your descendants so you will love Him with all your heart and soul, and will live." (v.6)
I must pause a moment a point out that there is a finish line for us all, actually. Someday, we will be presented with the ultimate fork in the road. The direction we go will not be based upon anything we've done to earn that road, but purely on what one Man did long ago on a cross at Calvary. We will breathe our last breath and enter eternity forever in the presence of God in Heaven, or we will banish ourselves into an existence that no human mind can comprehend, separated from God forever because we didn't believe. Life on Earth is the process that we live out as draw our own conclusions about what we believe. If we fast forward to get to the end result, we miss out on the life God planned for us that falls between our birth and death. This is another example of how I am thankful for the process. I feel so blessed to get to be a part of everything God is doing here in this world. It can be difficult at times, but it's also so beautiful. To give up the process would mean to give up the joy of being changed by the power of the Living God. He is at work in each of us and we have the incredible privilege of being transformed both in an eternal and earthly way.
"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body." (II Corinthians 4:7-9)
Just as my time with Lydia and my salvation through Christ are incredible blessings from God, the process of whatever is being transformed in my life is also a gift; a magnificent, glorious gift that has the potential to mold me into the woman that God desires me to be. I will embrace the process, little by little and bit by bit, for as long as the road may lead me, because the reality is that all these roads eventually lead to my road to Heaven. There is so much living to do along the way that I don't want to miss a moment.
Father, thank you for the process, no matter how hard it may sometimes be. I'm so grateful that you are refining me through this time that is sometimes very difficult. I know that You are fighting for me and walking by my side, but I need reminders along the way too. Give me the strength to persevere and embrace the present as the gift it can be, no matter what hardships or struggles I find along the way, no matter how long the road may seem, no matter how tempting focusing on the end result feels. Thank You for your word that tells me that this is not too difficult or beyond my reach. I believe You. I trust You. I will follow You through each and every process. I love you, Lord. Amen.
Now Choose Life.
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