There's no other way to say it: it takes a long time to get things done.
Unless we're interested in playing the "if I were king" game, there really is no way to move things along as quickly as we might like. If we live in community - and if other people are involved - it really does take a long time to get almost anything done.
That might seem ridiculously obvious, but I've had to learn that lesson all over again recently.
Despite my discomfort with the designation, people see me as a leader. What that means, in most cases, is that they expect me to get things done. I suppose that's a fair expectation. At the same time, I find that assignment of getting things done to be a difficult one. It's difficult not because I'm unsure about a direction and not because I don't know how to reach the goal; it's difficult because I'm committed to the process. As much as I want to get things done, I want even more to make sure that everybody has an opportunity to come along.
And, yes, that sometimes takes a long, long time.
Much of my world is filled with committees and teams and work groups. I spend untold hours every month in meetings. Often, people tend to dismiss those meetings as wasteful and unproductive. I will be the first to admit that those meetings are sometimes inefficient. At the same time, I insist that those same inefficient meetings are essential for the life and health of the community. Even conversation that seems unproductive honors minority viewpoints and values individual perspectives. And that, to me, is a good thing.
I'm not suggesting that we talk forever, but I am suggesting that there is value in deliberate, intentional, thoughtful dialogue - even if it takes a long time.
I guess I'm convinced that we should deal with other people the same way that God deals with us. And God typically deals with us in dialogue, in conversation, in relationship. He doesn't bowl us over or intimidate us into agreement. Normally, he woos us, invites us, listens to us, convinces us. He takes the time to do that, even though he isn't required to. And if God deals with us that way, then perhaps we should deal with one another in the same way.
I suppose we should try to make the process a good one - but I hope that we would never circumvent the process itself. It's important that we get to the right place, of course. What may matter more, however, is getting to the right place in the right way.
If we are able to get to the right place in the right way, then I am willing to take some extra time . . . even a lot of extra time.