Process Before Promise

Writing Prompt Day 1

I’m a certified church girl at my core. I grew up in the church and am a believer in and follower of Christ. This does not exempt me from life’s challenges in fact, I believe it makes them come on even the more. I can recall growing up having a timetable for my life that went something like:

-Graduate college by age ____

-Get married by age ___

-Have kids by age ____

and so on! 

As life happened and the years unfolded, I begin to see my timetable was a joke that made God laugh hysterically (in love of course). As it stands today, I’m a single, childless, successful marketing professional who is now trying to get my business off the ground. It’s not the life I mapped out on my timetable but it has been a blessed life nonetheless. I used to sulk about some areas particularly being a Christian single, but as I began to study God’s Word even more a fundamental truth became clear to me: I am exactly where God has ordained me to be. 

As we study the story of Moses, we see that he spent the first 40 years of his life in Egypt. He had to flee because he murdered a man (murder, sex, lies - it’s all in the Book!) and he came to Midian and married Jethro’s daughter. He worked there as a shepherd for another 40 years and then God came to him with his life purpose and assignment at the tender age of 80. 

As we look at the story of Abraham and Sarai, God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations - only one problem - he didn’t have any children. Years went by and no child. His wife decided to help God out and had Abraham lay with the handmaiden and a son was produced from that union by the name of Ishmael. He wasn’t the promised child. Years went by and Abraham was 100 and his wife was 90 and then they had the child of promise - Isaac. 

My point is this: God transcends time. We are exactly where we are supposed to be. The process it takes to get us to our place of purpose can be hard but it is necessary for God to develop character in us needed for the next level. Moses had to be a shepherd for 40 years in order for God to be able to develop patience in him that would be needed for the task ahead of delivering the Israelites from Egypt - the Exodus. Abraham had to wait on God so that his faith could be developed. It’s all apart of the process and as things go - Process before Promise. 

This has changed my thinking in an indescribable way! I am no longer rushed or feeling like I’m behind schedule because I know that I am exactly where God has ordained me to be for such a time as this.