Pearls & Pumas Weekly Anchor

TRUST THE PROCESS

Hey Reader,

Have you ever had a time in your life when someone shared words of wisdom with you that were so profound that they completely reframed your thought process on an ingrained perspective?

I've had a few of those moments. Some (or most) of those nuggets of wisdom were shared by my late father (where a few of my friends, lovingly call them "Joe's Words of Wisdom"), some by previous leaders or pastors—but the most profound for me was just a few months ago after our precious little yorkie, Willow, suddenly passed just two days after being diagnosed with pneumonia.

I was throwing away the garbage and ran into our lovely neighbor, who had heard the news of Willow's passing. He asked me how I was doing, and of course, I exchanged the standard obligatory-courteous-neighbor response of, "I'm good, thank you, how are you?" before heading back into my garage. He called back out to me. And when I turned around, his next eight words rocked me:

"Remember, it's not an event, it's a process."

I stopped. I locked eyes with him. And then said, "Thank you for that Loren. What you just said had more meaning than you know."

Let's talk about this, shall we? How often do we go through life focused on the event?

Whether it's an unfortunate event that has happened, we become so hyper-focused on it that we feel stuck and unable to move forward. Or the event that we're anticipating to transpire… waiting and praying on the unknown, and wondering when things will change, when God will grant the breakthrough, the miracle, the job opportunity, the transformation, the victory… we get lost in recognizing that there's always hope, growth, and joy to find in the process.

Oh, Friend, I know that the waiting room is hard. It's hard in the doctor's office, and even harder when we're emotionally wrapped in an event and wondering when God is going to open the door and call our name.

Psalm 27:14 reminds us,

Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Since that lovely day, when my neighbor, Loren, shared those beautiful words of wisdom, I've been challenging myself to hide God's Word—His awesome truths in my heart, to remind me to trust the process and remember that He is the One who knows all, sees all, transforms all, and has a greater plan than I could ever imagine for my life.

One of my favorite verses to ponder is Isaiah 43:18-19,

But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Did you catch that exclamation point? It gets me Every. Single. Time.

The Lord is literally exclaiming that He's already begun doing something new and hollering at me to just trust His process and see His work in my life.

Oh friend, maybe you're smack dab in the middle of the process right now—waiting, wondering, maybe even weeping. But hold tight to this truth: God sees the whole picture. What feels like a delay is often divine preparation.

He hasn’t forgotten you. He’s working things out in ways that you can’t yet see. So take heart, breathe deep, and remember… it’s not an event, it’s a process. And God never wastes the process, only amazing things come from it.

Let's Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for being the God of the process. Even when I don’t understand the waiting or the detours, help me to humble myself under Your mighty hand and cast every care onto You, knowing You care for me (1 Peter 5:6–7). Teach me to trust Your perfect timing, rest in Your promises, and recognize the beauty You’re building in the unseen. I trust You, Lord—help me walk boldly in faith, even in the waiting. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Love and Christ,

Dorene Elizabeth