In Process

by Sue Donaldson

I love the phrase: “spiritual journey.” It implies process – we haven’t yet arrived and we won’t until heaven.

Two good things about remembering that we are in process: discouragement and pride.

We don’t need to get discouraged when we fail; failure is part of the process.

My brother Hyatt said, “How we handle failure shows how successful we are.” I didn’t like hearing that at the time – failure is painful. But (as usual), he’s right. And, we can start again, like Anne of Green Gables--she seemed to make more mistakes than others (must be the red hair. . .) She said, “It’s a new day, fresh, with no mistakes in it yet.” Gotta love that attitude. And, David said, “We stumble but we don’t fall headlong.” (Psalms 37:24) Sounds like a process to me – walking, stumbling, and hopeful. Process includes failure – so we don’t need to be discouraged.

And, we don’t need to be proud in our process.

On earth, we never reach a plateau of spirituality on which we pause and say, “Well, I’ve made it!” If we are tempted to do so – it’s usually subconscious because if we say it out loud, we realize how ridiculous it is – but if we do, God will allow some experience to show us where we still need work. Or, He might give us a clearer picture of Who He is so we quickly realize the contrast – “Nope, I haven’t arrived quite yet . . .” Humility is good for the soul and for the journey.

We’re on a spiritual journey, and that’s a good thing. In fact, a great way to open up a conversation with someone is: “Where are you on your spiritual journey these days?” Be ready to share your up’s and down’s – God will use that to encourage a friend (or stranger) to get up and get moving. God is not only at the finish line, He’s with us all along the way.

Lord,
Thank you for keeping me on this journey towards You. Encourage me when I fail. Show me how I can encourage another today in their journey. And, don’t let me use the “in process” idea for bad behavior! Amen.