By DP

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

This is a concept, that in itself sounds pretty dry to our ears. It actually feels sometimes like a car brake; we think it is slowing us down. Talking about process makes us feel pain even when we haven’t gone through it or even started.

We are inspired by the stories that evoke human achievement. The ones that portray an underdog that emerges triumphant. Or the ones where an immense injustice has been done, and that it is ultimately redeemed. We all have heard of them. Men and women like Rosa Parks that took a stand that started a civil rights movement. Eric Liddle, who won the Olympic Games in a race he had not trained for, after refusing to run on a day he regarded as sacred to his beliefs. Joseph, that was promoted to second in command right out from the dungeons. What about king David, that had to run for years after he was anointed as king, walking with a bunch of rejects as his army. We could mention hundreds of known and unknown stories that rekindle the spark of creativity, courage and tenacity in us. They have many things in common, but the one that we often oversee, is process.

To get to that tipping point, to be equipped with the necessary tools for the task at hand, they all underwent a process that gave them the capacity and the character to perform and transform the situation they were in. Creation itself, underwent a transformation that took time. Such is life, a process. The mere growth and transformation that takes place in the womb of a woman, and the time it takes for the child to develop to term and ultimate birth, is a process. When that stage ends, a new one starts. And what a wonderful metaphor to use for describing process.

It is also true for you. It could be that you’re in the early stages of your situation and see no reason why you are in the middle of an unending drama that consumes every single second of your thought life. An injustice is taking place and you cannot see the way out or the reasoning for it. It makes it hard to understand that great dreams are building up inside of you, but your reality is just so different and everything screams at you to kill those dreams. It might be so personal, that great pain is what you only know as a way of living. But would you consider a different stance? Would you give yourself a new opportunity? It might be the process that God is using to reshape your thinking, your character and your attitude, so when the time comes, it will exude the greatness for what you have been created.

So don’t reject process, embrace it, let it teach you. Look at it from another angle, because all things are meant for good for those who love God. And I grant you that I do not know what your situation is, how hard or complicated it is. But process is not our enemy, it might be our ally and maybe you can then see your current job, your family situation, a business deal, the place you live, your pain, from a different perspective and not be bitter, but grateful.

And always remember that God loves you and we should see our situation through God’s eyes, and not God through our situation. Because it could just be the one thing that will change your life; process.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

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© Copyright DP, 2011
Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

by DP

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” – Matthew 13:3-8

It was very early in the morning. This was the moment he had dreaded the entire week. He was pacing around the room, rehearsing, thinking, doubting, hoping, expecting. A myriad of emotions rushing in his head and in his heart. How will he approach the subject? Will it be well accepted? Was he convinced of what he was about to say?

And then he remembered the parable, where the seed had fallen in different types of soil, and had different results at the end. And the thought came to his mind, what if the soil wasn’t the only variable here? Nor the seed? What if the sower had a crucial part in the story. And his heart rested, the seed, the message that he was going to deliver was solid. He had to be sure that the messenger, the sower, not the seed, was iron clad too.

There are many occasions where we fail to understand the importance of the message or task we are about to deliver, that we don’t take good care of it. In the parable, it was a qualified person. The story says he was a sower. He knew what he was doing, he had experience, he had done this task before. He also knew where would the seed have the best results. So why did he threw it alongside the road, over stony places or under thorns? Was he being careless?

Without undermining or neglecting the many teachings Jesus conveyed with this parable, we should all consider this and understand that we need to communicate well. We need to know the setting that we are in and be assertive with our words. It is an important message, but it might be the wrong soil, the wrong place or the wrong time.

Back to our friend in the beginning of this post. With the understanding of this principle, he went into the meeting and he scouted the field. When he spotted good soil, he delivered the all important message. The message that would transform his life.

It doesn’t matter where you carry out your calling, be prepared and be mindful of the field you have been given. It might not be the seed, nor the soil, but it could be the one who sows.

“BREATHE expectantly, LIVE confidently and MOVE Boldly”

Want this inspiration of coffee by email every morning? Enter your e-mail to subscribe at the top right of this page under the box for “Subscribe”. Like this writing and want share it? Just add your comment below on “Leave a Reply” or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or by email using any of the buttons next to “Share this:”

© Copyright DP, 2011

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.