Trust God in the Process

I never thought I would be one of those people. It’s not that I had anything against them. I just viewed them as an exclusive group that seemed nearly impossible to join. For one thing, I couldn’t imagine ever knowing anyone within that circle. But even if I did, I had some semblance of understanding that it would take some work to stay in the club, and I wasn’t sure I was up for the task. But then a friend had me over last year, and as we caught up on each other’s lives, I realized she was part of this group. And soon, without me even asking, she was giving me a slice of fresh baked bread to eat, a loaf of bread to take home, and a starter to begin making the bread on my own. Before I knew it, I had been inducted into the club–the elite club of all things sourdough.

About a week later, after reading information on the website to which my friend directed me and texting her a handful of times throughout the process, I had produced my first loaves of sourdough sandwich bread, and my family and I were hooked!

As we ate the slightly sweet, chewy bread, I knew this needed to become a permanent part of our lives. Somehow, I kept up with making it even after the baby was born, but my sourdough making skills took a turn for the worse by that summer. The starter seemed to be deteriorating in health.

I took it out of the refrigerator one day with the intention of feeding it every day and nursing it back to health. But instead, I forgot about it most days until I realized that the dreaded red mold,  which I had read so much about, had claimed my precious starter.

This could have become the end to my sourdough journey, but by now this bread had become a staple to my family and me, so I decided I would simply make my own starter.

Doing so proved to be simple enough. Add filtered water and unbleached flour to a jar each day, discarding some of the starter as it started to grow.

There was nothing difficult about this process per se, but when I had to start feeding the starter twice a day, laziness and a lack of motivation set in. Fortunately,  I was nearly done with the process, so I mustered up what little sense of determination I had left and saw the process through. Today, my family and I enjoy fresh baked sourdough bread because of that starter I made back in July.

Shortly after making more sourdough starter, I told a good friend in El Paso about the blogpost I was hoping to write about the experience (some writing projects sit in my head for a long time), and as I told her about all the steps and how I had to trust the process despite my own laziness, her response to me made all the difference. She simply spoke about trusting God in the process.

The truth is, we can follow a process in order to see certain results, but even then, the results are not always guaranteed.

Since joining several sourdough groups online, I’ve seen this to be the case with a few individuals who have followed the sourdough “rules” to a T. Their process has been perfect, but it hasn’t produced the intended results.

This, of course, extends way beyond making sourdough.  We can “trust the process ” as far as relationships are concerned, or dieting,  or finding a job or being successful in life. And following a reliable process for any goal is certainly better than not trying anything at all. But if all our hopes and expectations are in what the end results of that process should be, then we could be setting ourselves up for potential disappointment,  because even the best processes can fail. They can fail, but God won’t.

Lately, I find myself in the middle of a process that brings angst to my heart when I fail to surrender the end results to Him. I’m trying to self-publish a children’s book, and as I read various information about the process, nothing seems too clear cut to me. This, in turn, leaves me uncertain about what to do and how to proceed at times, and it’s easy to give into fear that this daunting process will only lead to disappointing results. But the idea of trusting God in this process brings a sense of calmness to my heart. I know I can honor Him by seeking His guidance and believing He will show me what to do. I can also ease my fears by asking God to make my primary motive to please Him and then seek to do so as I proceed.

The end result to this process may not be all that I hope for it to be. But to know that God walks with me in it, ready to guide and teach me and bring further healing to my heart changes how I view the process. I don’t walk this path alone, and there will be plenty of adventures and treasures to unearth as I walk through the process with Him.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV