Dec 13th 🌿 Ministry Update – Walking, Not Arriving

Modern psychology and neuroscience strongly support the idea that process-oriented people tend to live healthier, more stable, and more resilient lives than outcome-oriented people.

Process oriented people can be identified by their intrinsic motivation. External validation is not necessary to keep them fueled. These people focus on doing things well rather than hitting the goal. Their locus of control usually falls in their own court even if that means continuous discovery of self improvement that can be tiresome and draining. They are people focused on the now. Yes, a vision and a plan, but ultimately now is all you got.

Performance oriented people depend on external influence to meet them. It is very hard to recover from failure. Although the initial pleasure of immediate results can bring some motivation, long-term achievements can be hard for performance oriented people to reach. Because their identity is anchored in performance, when outcomes fail, they can often experience identity collapse.

How does this connect to scripture? What does God want from us?

The Bible talks about steps towards, not leaps and achievements.

It urges us to walk humbly with God, there is no focus on arrival.

Faith, trust, wisdom are all mentioned based on consistency over time, not striving.

It asks us to remain in Him to see results, implying time is a factor and the results will come when they do.

It pushes us to renew our mind daily, assuming that it is ongoing and neverending.

The Spirit asks us to keep in step with Him, despite not knowing exactly where those steps may lead.

Shortcuts to hit the goal are not celebrated more than perseverance, even if that means the goal needs to be changed.

The Bible never commands success, speed, certainty or outcomes. It praises faithfulness, presence, obedience and endurance.

That is process orientation, long before psychology named it.

God owns all the results in our lives. We can start off and keep on track but ultimately if we make it and what happens is on Him. Handing our results over to our creator unburdens us of a weight that was never meant to be ours. We are free to listen and connect, love and learn, study and grow today.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

By doing this we do not shrink the problem, we confine its power.