Why Should You "Trust the Process"?

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Trust the process”? For some, this phrase may present itself as more of an irritant than encouragement. This counsel is often given during a time of enduring hardship and, depending the stage of the hardship that you're in, can often determine if the vagueness of the statement will bring consolation or cause you to cringe. Why should you trust the process? What's the benefit? I have come to realize that if the purpose of the process is not understood, then it's difficult to place any confidence in the process. 

What is "the process”? 

"The Process" can sometimes sound like an obscure concept found in a science fiction novel. Especially, if it is not given any context. If you have just lost your job, ended a relationship, are going through financial difficulties, searching for clarity concerning a particular situation, etc., being advised to “trust the process” holds little to no consolation if you don’t understand what the process is intended to do or produce. 

What I believe is important to acknowledge at this point is that there is a Facilitator of the process. I will advise that if there is an unwillingness to accept this, then the remainder of this blog will be moot and be of no benefit to you.

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 “The Lord has made everything for its own purpose…For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Proverbs 16:4a; Ephesians 2:10).

We have all been created for a specific objective that has been assigned and associated with our lives. The awareness and acceptance of this truth becomes the backdrop from which we can come to understand the significance of “the process”. It will also establish the motivation necessary to endure the process. 

A process in itself is the means to an end. It is a series of actions and experiences which, ultimately, are intended to achieve a particular result. For example, silver or metal have to go through a heating process in order to separate the dross or impurities from the material. The goal is to have a refined product that will be aesthetically pleasing and also malleable to shape into the form that is desired. The facilitator of this refining process knows that this is a necessary step or element to reach the end that was envisioned before the process even began. The purpose validates the process. The places that we are aspiring to go often require a certain level of capacity to sustain the occupation of that particular territory. If that capacity is not obtained, it can actually lead to our demise or ruin. 

I would often advise the members of my team, who were aspiring to advance in their careers, to be sure that they were being proficient in the area that they were currently working in. Many times they would become discouraged because they appeared to be overlooked for promotion or unable to secure it. My advice for them was not to be dismayed but to allow themselves to be developed in the waiting period and anchored in the skills that would allow them to add value in the roles that they were pursuing.  

There are 3 things that I suggest during this process: reject discouragement, commit to a lane, and develop discipline. 

01 | Reject Discouragement - In any endeavor or path towards advancement, resistance and obstacles are bound to arise. This resistance has the ability to trigger discouragement. You can find yourself breaking

down because of the opposition and perceiving it as an indication that you made a mistake or that your pursuit is in vain. Reject this perspective. While the resistance is not fun, it is normally the catalyst for growth. As in lifting weights, the degree of resistance determines the amount of growth. Little to no resistance may be indicative of stagnation and result in a plateau. 

02 | Commit to a Lane - As I was driving one day, I noticed that if I stayed in one lane, there was a peace that accompanied it. On the other hand, there is very little peace that comes with constantly changing lanes. It can keep tensions high because of all of the surveying and maneuvering that has to be done before taking action. But when you commit to one lane, the stressors decrease. Likewise, the pressure of the process can tempt you to solely focus on escaping the hardship. You can become hasty in your decisions and find yourself vacillating from

one thing to the next, making emotional decisions in a temporary situation that lead to permanent damage. Resist the temptation to keep switching lanes in order to get to the destination faster. You will get there and if you have prepared in advance, like leaving in enough time to get to your destination on time, then there is no need to rush.

03 | Develop Discipline - The process is an opportune time to develop disciplines. These are the regimented actions that will become assets to you when you enter into the territory that you are seeking to occupy. These disciplines undergird and support what the process is trying to develop and accomplish. They travel alongside and come into agreement with what the process is intended for. The disciplines will be tailored to your specific objective but could include: utilizing the Pomodoro technique for your prioritized tasks, designating a time period to exercise or committing to read a chapter in the book of Proverbs each day. 

The process, when viewed correctly, is about optimizing your potential. It’s about getting the very best out of you, utilizing those resources and qualities that are embedded inside of you to add the most value. Trusting or embracing the process is more digestible when you understand that the process is implemented for the fulfillment of your purpose. However, there are elements that can hinder you from fulfilling that purpose and need to be removed. Unwillingness to yield to the process can make it difficult to sculpt the masterpiece intended and will limit the functionality of the workmanship. This type of resistance can actually elongate the process and delay your arrival at the intended destination. 

Embracing the process leads to resilience (the capacity to withstand challenges). This resilience is a necessary element to possess in order to be effective in the assignment or task that we are required to complete. Sometimes, the character and fortitude required to handle the adversity that will be present at the next level of our succession, is not present in our current lives.  Refining periods are needed for us to excel and succeed in the next stage.  

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In conclusion, the process is about character development. When we learn to embrace the process, we then come to see the value of the process and appreciate what it can produce. We can then truly be able to consider it all joy when we encounter various trials because we have come to understand that it is forming something good in us that would’ve, otherwise, remained dormant and inactive had we not gone through the process. 

So the next time you are encouraged to “trust the process”, you can receive it with confident expectation instead of biting your lip with exhausted frustration.