Embrace both the Moment & the Process!

My good friend, Rev. Pam Crosby, who happened to also be the pastor's wife, at a church I attended for 14 years, always used the phrase, "Embrace the moment." I absolutely disliked that word, "Embrace." You see, I do not want to accept anything I don't like. I didn't want to willingly hold on to anything that was unpleasant. Hey, I'm not enthusiastic about anything that causes me pain in any way, shape, or form.

I believe we all have this attitude towards pain. Painful experiences are not what we want to sign up for. For years, Pam has teased me about this word as I always rolled my eyes and then made a smart Alec remark about it. Pam always tells me, "Teresa, embrace every moment even the hard ones." Trust me. We have had marathon phone conversations for hours on end on this subject.

Sunday, January 28, was the final day of a 21 day fast I have been on. I asked God for an answer to a specific situation I really don't like. I have questioned this situation for the last few months especially the last two months. On Sunday, at the end of my fast, I was expecting an answer. Well, God gave me an answer all right and not one I was expecting. God never stops the answer from coming to us when we get serious and ask Him.

This morning, I went to church, and I opened the bulletin, and there was the sermon title, "Embrace the Process!" I'm not joking here. I rolled my eyes, but not for anyone to see, I rolled them in my spirit. I said, "Really, God, seriously? I hate this word 'Embrace.' I'm ending this fast today, and I don't want to hear about 'Embracing anything!' I think God has a lot of patience when it comes to me because I realize I can be a pain.

As I worshipped, I was telling God how I felt about this circumstance. I found myself giving example after example why I was right. Embracing it couldn't possibly be the answer. Please tell me something else today, God. Well, God did. As I sat there, continuing to make my case, I found myself asking God another question. "God, what do you want me to know? What are you telling me? First was to Embrace the moment. Now it is to Embrace the process. What am I missing here?" I'm telling you it was so powerful my encounter with God. In a split second His reply came. It was loving, kind, and firm, "If you can't embrace the moment, and if you can't embrace the process, then you will not embrace the blessing!" Wow, Wow, Wow! I started to cry, because I knew in just that one sentence God was telling me everything. If I wanted the blessing, then I had to do it His way, and His way meant dealing with the hardships that came with it.

God began to open my spiritual eyes, (amazes me how I had just rolled my spiritual eyes moments before) and now I began to see. The hardships, circumstances, trials, and situations we find ourselves in are really places of learning experiences. It is all these things that build strong character. People who have great character are born out of extreme adversity, life's most intense trials. It is all about persevering through the worst and most horrific situations in life that good-strong-never give up solid character which is developed. God began to show me those moments of intense hardships are to be embraced. Embracing the process means we will allow God to make us into His image. It's were the real work of sculpting, molding, and cutting away is done. It sure is painful but the outcome is so amazingly awesome. It is here the greatest of testimonies come forth. It is here where the real miracles happen. It is at this place we see the faithfulness, mercy, and character of a great and powerful God. In this realm, we realize who He is and who we are. We see His power in full force.

I realized the importance of embracing the moment. In that first moment of the hardship, we have a decision to make. It is there in that moment we make the decision that whatever the trial we are in it will not break us. Then, we must resign to the embracing the process. Here is the real work and the excruciating moments which follow the moment. I finally realized how the two work together hand in hand to make the person. It starts with fully understanding the horrific moment will serve as the process to help us reach all God intends for us to be. The outcome of embracing the moment and embracing the process leaves us with the greatest of gifts -rare and precious gifts like, patience, endurance, self-control, self-discipline, courage, and resilience.

Most importantly, we learn the most precious of all, the Fruit of the Spirit, that will leads us into all truth.

"But the spiritual nature produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There are no laws against things like that." (Galatians 5:22-23)

Let me drive it home. It must be all about producing the spiritual nature, bearing real fruit. Notice how it is called, "Fruit." When the Spirit of God dwells in you, you will produce the fruit. This fruit is complete. It encompasses everything. Nothing is missing from your life. You got it all. We must bear this kind of fruit in us.

When we embrace the process and embrace the moment of understanding, something in Heaven is released as well. The blessing is also set in motion for us to receive. There is nothing sweeter than embracing our blessings. Here is the danger if we are not careful. We can and will lose the blessing when we choose to let go of the moment, and refuse the process.

I want to encourage you, "Embrace your moment, Embrace your process, and Embrace your blessing." Don't you dare give up, no matter how painful, how long, or how hard it might be. God is the God of perfect timing, and that happens when He is finally finished with the process. We are then ready to, "Embrace the Blessing!"

Dr. Teresa Allissa Citro

INSIGHT: You are a fruit-bearer, and as a child of God, you are to go forth and bear fruit. However, that is going to require you going through things to shape you into the person God wants you to be. You will go through the Refiner's Fire. All of God's children go through the process of being refined. Forget about your comfort; there is nothing comfortable about being refined. The question is: Will you embrace the moment that lead up to the process and then takes you through the process? "But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23:10) Embrace the moment and the process because the blessing will follow. When you come forth as gold, the blessing is right there waiting for you. Everything you go through is to make you the man or woman of God He has purposed and designed you to be. You will come out like gold as you persevere, as you fix your eyes on Him, and as you fully rely and trust in God. You are chosen to go and bear fruit, the fruit produced in you by the work of the Holy Spirit which hinges off of the finished work of Christ on the cross.

MEDITATION: "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will remain — so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you." (John 15:15-16) No one likes their world flipped upside down, but how would you even know God's enduring faithfulness if you never had a problem or trial? How do you know what being victorious is if you never had a struggle or a storm to deal with? When you are going through various trials and temptations, you will find God leading you through it. He doesn't give you more than you can handle, and that is true. God defines you as His child and calls you His own. How awesome it is to know you have been chosen by your Savior to go and bear fruit for the Kingdom of God, the kind of fruit that is eternal. How awesome it is to know He cares more about what is best for you instead of your comfort.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for choosing me to be a fruit bearer. Thank You for being my Refiner, for shaping me, because I know that because of You, I will come forth like gold. You, O God, are the Righteous One, the Holy One, Sovereign in all You do, perfect in all Your ways, and faithful to keep Your promises. Thank You for the hard times in my life. Thank You for the battles and storms of life. Because of the storms, Father, I can see You in the midst of them. I can see You carrying me, and because of the battles in my life, I know what it is like to experience victory for You have made me victorious. You show Yourself real to me. You have shown Yourself as The God Who Is Victorious, and in times of storm, You are the One Who Gives Me Strength to carry on. Thank You, Lord, for being with me through the good times and the bad times and for making Yourself real to me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Linda A. Knowles

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