Who You Become on the Way
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:”Romans 5:3–4 (KJV)
We chase goals for the finish line: the weight, the degree, the business milestone. But often the most valuable part is who we become on the way there.
Paul says suffering has a purpose: “we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope.” The hard road builds something the easy road can’t.
James says the same: “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” God is more interested in the person being formed than in the box being checked.
So if a goal is taking longer than you hoped, don’t only measure the distance left. Look at what is being formed in you: patience, steadiness, trust. That is the part that lasts, and it is the part you’ll have to give to someone else who is just starting out.
Read it yourself
Read Romans 5:1–5. What does Paul say has been shed abroad in our hearts?
What is God forming in you through the goal you’re working toward right now?
Lord, don’t just get me to the finish line. Make me the person you want me to be along the way. Amen.