About a decade ago, Holy Spirit told me how every dream must await destiny. Joseph dreamt to excel but there were several bridges he had to cross to attain his destiny. Elisha desired double of his mentor’s anointing but it wasn’t a “get powerful quick stuff”. Abraham attained the blessings that many religions now associate with but that blessed destiny did not arrive overnight. Amazingly, Jesus Christ spent 30 years preparing for a 3years’ ministry. Process!

There are several biblical principles that reassure us of blessed destinies. But NONE of them turns a fresh university graduate to a professor in just 12 months. Like someone joked, a man can’t make a baby in a month by impregnating 9 women; it will still take 9 months anyway – God prospering the gestational curves. So, I really don’t get why we young people become envious of veterans whilst not desirous of the arduous paths that birthed their laurels. Our “get rich quick” generation seem to oppose processes in many concerning ways.

Recently, I read the profile of a nurse and I wondered what setbacks, failures and patches of despair that he must have been through but were not captured in the very beautiful portfolio. The iceberg principles of success apply to all walks of life: the picture of a scholar in academic gown has the untold stories of years of toiling; the joyful sight of a happy mother rocking her infant doesn’t tell of the sleepless nights and pregnancy’s travails. So reading the profile didn’t only motivate me to attain God’s plans for my life, I saw resilience and process. Of course I chased him and thankfully to him, I have continued to learn from his wealth of global experience. A hen must brood on her eggs before hatching her chicks. Process!

Another part to process is that it may not appear as though you are getting anywhere. In fact, it may appear as though you are regressing. When a farmer decides to bury parts of a tuber of yam, he may actually be seen by others as being on the reverse or wasteful or starving for no reasons. That is when your convictions and purposes become your intrinsic drive. When your peers leisure or quit and you persevere through afflictions, it may not make sense. In your courtship for instance, maintaining chastity and sexual purity will entail putting certain safeguarding measures in places, which may be termed by others as boring or old school. It is okay if you don’t make sense to everyone - it is your race, your family. Not community race.

Maintain a journal of ideas, inspirations and revelations. Have a picture of the end embossed on your heart; accrue human, team, professional, administrative, business and entrepreneurial skills. Run a “shadow government” to preview what your destination requires or looks like. Seek guidance from appropriate quarters and be intentional in preparation. Imagine a clueless Joseph before Pharaoh or Daniel without revelations before Nebuchadnezzar? Disastrous! While you are patiently waiting on the Lord for your spouse, learn how to be a good spouse; while you are waiting for that dream job, learn to be best at what it expects of you. One of the worst problems in our nation is that leaders get to offices to learn on the job; colossal failures. Our national orientation systems need to foster preparation and process principles.

For young couples especially, process is very important. Many homes have been destroyed by social pressures and unrealistic expectations. Marriage is offline; forget the faultless “studio” images that you have adopted as the mental picture of ideal marriages. A successful marriage requires consistent efforts from both parties; failures and triumphs; quarrels and conflict resolutions; lack and surplus. But with forthrightness and love, keep working at your marriage, keep forgiving and keep praying - keep growing together. The process may seem too long and the dry patches may be really hard and dry, your eureka era will happen. Amen.

Selah!

© SELAH SERIES 2022