The Process

With less than one hundred meters left to run in the women’s eight-hundred-meter race during Olympic qualifying, Brenda Martinez was tripped by a fellow runner and stumbled. She failed to qualify in what was her favored event in the Olympic Games. But after the race, she didn’t dwell on her disappointment.

She said that she was focused on preparing for the fifteen hundred meters, and she had to put her disappointment out of her mind to give herself the best chance of qualifying to represent the United States in Rio de Janeiro.* Martinez was not focused on her goals; she was focused on the process.

Overly focusing on goals can have negative consequences.

It can lead to irrational risk-taking and unethical behavior.

In school, an unhealthy focus on maintaining a 4.0 grade point average could lead to cheating in order to get an A.

Sportspeople fixated on winning may resort to using performance-enhancing drugs. And very often, achieving a certain goal might simply be out of a person’s control. In such cases, an overemphasis on goals can easily lead to disappointment. While goals undoubtedly have their place, focusing on the process may lead to better outcomes. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual goals.

A believer whose goal is to be saved might easily look at the Christian life as a checklist. “I’m worshiping right, giving right, and acting right, so I’m all right.” Except that focusing on behavior never saved anyone. Paul focused on the process: “Walk in the Spirit.” In other words, live your life connected to Jesus.

Remain connected to the Savior. Paul emphasized the process. If you focus on externals, on doing, Christianity will frustrate you.

But if Jesus is truly the center of your experience, and you enjoy the process of being one with Him, faith in God will be nothing but joy.

And eternal life will be yours.