I think that as a perfectionist I struggle with the whole process vs product scenario. Often, I am so frozen by the complexity (or perceived complexity) of the process of accomplishing a task, that I seldom make it to the product part of the journey. To my mind, that is truly a waste of both energy and talent since both are often expended, sometimes in great quantity, with nothing to show for it at the end of the day. I think you can see that this problem, compounding on itself daily, could lead to a completely frenetic life without ever making any progress, without ever having anything to show for the tremendous amount of effort you are expending. In short, to be caught in this cycle is to completely waste my energy and talents on something that never materializes.
If I, as a homeschooler, I spend weeks and months poring over all the curricula available to me and painstakingly craft an amazing array of educational products but merely give my children a set of learning tools and go over the basic concepts of how they are used, what sort of product will I have at the end of their educational process? It's not the presentation that makes a difference in their lives, its the bits of time I spend with them every single day. Supporting each new thought and skill and supplying them with the tools they need to build on that foundation that will create a well-rounded and well-educated individual ready to go out and face the world.
I also find it interesting that many churches today are caught in the same trap. So much energy, time, money and talent goes into the service, it is all-consuming. Because of that tremendous upfront effort, there is very little energy left to follow up with making sure that there is any beneficial product (in the church's case, souls, discipled believers, teaching and training) at the end of the day. While I would never be one to say that any church service should be entered into without preparation and practice, if the completion of service is also considered the completion of "the job" for that week, what then are we producing but a bunch of church service junkies waiting for their next emotional jolt of spirituality next weekend? Sure we can pack 'em in the pews, but are we really equipping anyone to do anything with what may even be a divinely conceived message? Or are we happy that a good delivery is enough to make changes in our day to day actions?
What return are you getting for the amount of time you invest in whatever it is you do? It's an important question. One for which I am finding the answers to be far more difficult than I ever imagined.
