Enjoy the Process

But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

MICAH 7:7

I come from a family full of farmers. For as long as I can remember, you could always find my grandaddy on a tractor somewhere in the middle of a field. I loved going to visit him in the fields and I honestly could sit here and write about the numerous experiences I had. For example, my dad and I arrived in one of the fields where we found my grandad working on what seemed to be a mechanical issue on what I called "Ol' Reliable." This was an old school John Deere Tractor that never seemed to break down or anything. Every time I saw my grandad, he was on this particular tractor. As we pull up, he turns towards us and gives us his famous slanted grin and waves, then gets right back to working with whatever he was doing. I open the door in excitement after a long day in elementary school, I mean what could be worse than learning your abc's and nap time right? As I open the door, I catch a scent of something I have never smelled before and when I tell you it took me by surprise, it literally made me pass out. When I came back to my senses and my dad shaking me violently, I wanted to immediately know what happened. Come to find out, my grandad was spraying an ammonia based chemical on his crops which helps produce and promote plant growth and improves fruit and seed production. I had fell victim to the farming process. I remember coming home to my mom and trying to explain to her the trauma that I had endured that day and the only word I come up with at the time was, "Momma, that stuff was pleasionous." This was my elementary education coming in to play when trying to say the word "poisonous."

My grandad was a master at the farming process. He knew the right time to plant and the right time to harvest, no matter what season of the year he was in. In many seasons in our lives, God takes us through a planting, forming, and harvesting phase. All throughout scripture, Jesus would tell of parables (short stories) that had to do with farming. Many times we find ourselves in a process that, much like the ammonia, can take us by surprise. So many times we can focus on the end result, especially when you add social media into the game. Social media is a wonderful tool for us to connect with people, but is also a breeding ground for the comparison trap. I heard a preacher say one time, "Don't compare your behind the scenes to someone else's highlight reel." If we can be honest, we have fell into this trap, many times. It's easy to see on instagram or facebook, someone else living their best life on a beach or in a mountain somewhere, and you are stuck in the same cubicle you have been in the last 24 months. But the challenge with this is that, when we focus on someone else's life, we tend to ignore and pass by what God is trying to do in our own life. We will give God all the excuses in the world, "I don't have enough money," "I will never be as well-known as they are," I will never be as beautiful/handsome as they are," and the list goes on and on. We begin to focus on the end result and say "If I can just get here, then my life will be better and then be instagram worthy." But, what happens when you reach the end result? Does your life stop and there is nothing else to do? No! Once the end result is accomplished, then there is always another process on the other side.

I challenge you today, to live in the process and enjoy it! God specializes in showing in the mundane, day to day things that happen in your life and the beautiful thing is that He is using those moments to create momentum toward your purpose. Don't give up on the process. Stay the course and keep moving. You have what it takes, so stop trying to be someone else, and be YOU BOO BOO!! You're valuable and worth it. Spend the next day writing things in your life that you are thankful and feel free to add them in the comments below. Think and mediate on these things daily and just let your spirit begin to grow and blossom in thankfulness.

You Were Made for This,