Thursday, November 4, 2010

"Its the process not the product"

In my one and almost half years of pharmacy school I have come across the phrase "its the process not the product" on several different occasions. In pharmacy school, this is a lie, the product gets graded, and can be counted against you, even though the bigger picture is the process.

That being said, I agree with the above said statement or title of this blog entry. In the real world I think the bigger picture of life and our growth as christians is based on the process and not necessarily the product. There are alot of times in life where one can be left wondering "WHY??...why did I have to go through that? I didn't even get what I wanted after all that work". The answer? most likely because in the process of going through 'that' you went through a meta-morphasis of learning, you grew, you were able to comprehend something when you were unable to before. Sometimes we are unable to learn or we are blinded by the object that the process is lost, and we are once again put in the cycle so that we may open our eyes and see what is right in front of us (not the product).

I had a friend of mine, who chased after a girl for 14 years of his life. He claimed to be in love with her and felt that she was what he was meant for. I think a lot of the time he focused on the product (the girl), and not the process (his praying, changing, becoming humble...etc). He became angry when the girl did not reciprocate the feelings. Many times in his life I saw him put through the same cycle, the same process and he was still chasing the product.

As a christian, I will be the first to note that I have failed several exams administered by God. I have been asked to be patient but become belligerent in my wait, I have been asked to be humble but have allowed my hubris to shine through with bright colors, I have been told to forgive, but still hold anger and resentment somewhere where no one else can see them. I have gone through situations that produced some very ugly products, ones that I would most likely want to throw in the garbage or sell off in a rummage sale. But as I look back I am able to look at the situation and go through the process. I see situations that are similar that I had to repeat because I was too focused on the product and not the lesson.

In several passages of the Bible that Paul writes, he is thankful for the "grace" of being able to go through trials. At first I thought Paul was just trying to be piously over righteous. I didn't understand the concept of being grateful for trials. As I grow as a christian, over the past few years, I begin to see that trials bring forth growth. Growth that cannot be achieved through mere day to day living. I now believe he is thanking God, for the grace to grow.

It amazes me that life is just a process its not the product, that all comes in the end. You, dear reader, are growing, you are not always going to get it right on the first try, in fact you are going to go through many failures before you reach success, just make sure you learn in the process and not rely on the damaged product as your inheritance.

Thanks
Regina

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