I hate slow internet. Is there anything more frustrating? When I click on a link, the acceptable amount of time for a page to load is 6 seconds at most. When I am streaming on Netflix, there should never be a need for my video to buffer twice. That is just inappropriate, right? In fact, I believe that dial-up internet should be considered a form of torture. If you don’t believe me, let’s just imagine the stress levels of the people in your office if we were to install dial-up internet at your place of employment, or at any place of employment… It would not be pretty.
What is it about our culture that longs so much for instant gratification? We want things and we want them fast. Slow progress is a lot like dial-up internet… frustrating, slow, and useless. If we want information about anything, we get it from the phone in our pocket. If we want to make money, we look for a “get-rich-quick” scheme to get us there. If we want to get in shape, we look for a quick (and painless) solution to deliver the results that we want in 20 days or less. Think about it, we want our food fast, we want our Bachelor’s degree in 2 short years, we want our business to grow by tomorrow, and we want to be wealthy at 26 years old. We want results, and we want them instant. We want to get through the process as quickly as possible to get the results we desire.
I am fortunate enough to have several friends who have (and who know how to operate) a Big Green Egg. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Big Green Egg, it is a beautiful slow cooking machine. It is pretty amazing, and for anyone who prides themselves in their ability as a grill-master, the Big Green Egg is worth checking out. Back to the point… There is a huge difference in a brisket that has been slow cooked on a Big Green Egg for 8 hours, over the piece of brisket that was cooked for two minutes in a microwave. Sure, it may be the same meat, but barely. You would have missed out on the process, the smell, the experience, and the taste of a well-loved, slow-cooked brisket.
I believe that too many of us, myself included, are too accustomed to microwaved meat.
Here is my fear; In our obsession with quick results, we are missing the beauty of the process. We have taken aspects of life that are designed to be slow cooked, and we have nuked them in our microwaves. I believe that the most important things in life cannot be expedited. They are more about the process than they are about the speed of the results.
Are you wanting to become physically or spiritually healthier? This is a process.
Are you wanting to develop discipline in your life? This is a process.
Are you wanting to have a healthy relationship with your spouse? This is a process.
Are you wanting to be a good parent? This is a process.
Are you wanting to grow in our ability to follow after Christ? This is a process.
Are you wanting to be a good friend? This is a process.
Are you wanting to develop healthy habits in stewarding your money? This is a process.
In each of these areas, the beauty is in the process. And, in each of these areas, the desired results are not possible without ups and downs of the process.
My hope in this post is to simply remind us to push against our culture that tells us that our results should be seen quickly. The whole point of your journey may be the process, not the results. So, join me in slowing down to enjoy the process in which God has us.