Athlete. You must trust the process even when it seems pointless.
There isn’t an athlete who hasn’t had to go through a process. At the start of training camp, you will hear coaches often utter three simple words; Trust. The. Process.
These words can be comforting or conflicting to an athlete. They are comforting when we do trust the coach and are able to look back on the coach’s reputation and his / her previous success and see how the process has helped previous teams succeed or even win championships. But it’s difficult to “trust the process” when you don’t see the results you expected when you stared the process. What is an athlete to do when they are in the middle of a process that seems to be going nowhere?
Old Testament example:
In the Old Testament book of Genesis, we are introduced to Joseph. God had set Joseph apart for a special task and that would lead him to be in a place of leadership and influence, even over his older brothers and unexpectantly, Joseph found himself in a series of unfortunate events.
You see athlete, God has great promises in store for you. You are His creation and He has chosen you to be set apart for His good works (Ephesians 2:10) and you can confidently walk through life knowing you have been chosen by the Creator. God gave Joseph a dream, an insight into his future leadership and Joseph immediately shared it with his brothers. Because of this dream his brothers “hated him more than ever” (Genesis 37:8). Joseph misunderstood something about God’s promises; just because God reveals something to you, it doesn’t mean it will happen immediately. There is always a process…
Because of jealousy, joseph was thrown in a pit and sold to Egyptian slave traders. Joseph soon found himself serving in the home of a royal official named Potiphar. Even though betrayal anger and confusion weighed him down, Joseph chose faithfulness and quickly his position rose in this royal official’s house. Joseph may have thought he had arrived, but little did he know, the process was about to get a bit harder. Joseph was falsely accused of assaulting Potiphar’s wife and was thrown in prison.
Again, confused, frustrated and angry, Joseph found himself in a prison that he never thought he would escape. But his commitment to God once again allowed Joseph to rise from the ashes. God supernaturally intervened and gave Joseph the ability to interpret a dream that bothered the king of Egypt (Pharoah). Joseph was not only released from prison, but was elevated to 2nd in command in all of Egypt. Everyone in the Kingdom (Except Pharaoh) would bow down to him as he was in charge of the land of Egypt.
How can a young Jewish boy grow into a ruler of Egypt?
This was what God set Joseph aside for, this is what the original dream was all about, and through all of this Joseph learned a valuable lesson that all athletes need to understand. He comes to his senses and remembers that although his father’s hired servants work long hours outside, they have enough food to eat and have their basic needs met. With shame covering him like a blanket he decides to go back to his father and ask to work in the fields.
The hearers of Jesus’ parable expected Jesus to tell them that when the son got back the father punished him severely for bringing such disgrace to the family name, but they must of been astonished at what Jesus said next.
Jesus continued. As the son came over the horizon the waiting father got up and ran to his son to greet him. Instead of punishing him for what he had done, the father embraces him, kisses him, reinstates his position as his son, and planned a celebration to commemorate the return of his son. All seems right, however there is another son. Instead of being elated that his younger brother is home safe the older son contends with his father insisting his younger brother be punished instead of embraced. Jealousy rages within him and he pleads his case before his father recalling all the things he had done and how well he obeyed his father’s wishes and never strayed from the path of righteousness.
What we consider the process, God considers the goal.
Historians tell us that from the time Joseph received the dream to the day it was fulfilled was 17 years. When the dream was revealed to Joseph, his immediate reaction was “When God” (and if we were honest, that would be our reaction too). God wanted to use Joseph in a mighty way but it was the 17 year process in a pit, sold into slavery, serving in Potiphar’s house, being falsely accused of rape, and trapped in a prison cell that prepared Joseph to be the man that God needed him to be.
Athlete. You too are in process. You may be in a redshirt or rookie season where you are needing to settle into a new campus, team or system. Or you may be rehabbing a serious or lingering injury. Or your team is retooling and right now building continuity and familiarity is being emphasized. No matter where you are as an athlete, you need to trust your position coach, head coach, strength coach or athletic trainer. Trust their process.
But also remember, Like Joseph you may want your “prize” now, but what you don’t realize that in God’s Kingdom who you are becoming is more important of a prize than what you will achieve. It is God who began the process in you, and it is God who will complete the process (Philippians 1:6)