Skip to main content

Look for Progress Not Perfection

                 Everyone loves an underdog story.  From kids who start out in bad situations and make it big, to sports teams that should lose but end up winning, we like big, unexpected results.  There is a reason why so many books and movies are “rags to riches” stories.  We like big, sudden turnarounds.
                It should not surprise us, then, that we like spiritual comeback stories too.  We like to focus on dramatic testimonies and instant changes.   However, that is not the way most people experience spiritual growth and renewal.  Most of us are much more like a man that Jesus met in the little town of Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26).
                On that day, some friends brought a blind man to be healed.  Instead of the instant, spectacular, showy event the were expecting, Jesus took the man outside of town where no one else could see them.   Then he spat on the man’s eyes (not exactly something that you dream about) and then he asked, “Do you see anything?”
                The man’s response is interesting because he says, “I see people; they look like trees walking around”.  Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes and this time the man’s eyes were opened, and he could see clearly.
                I like that this healing is progressive.  It does not happen all at once.  Instead, the man’s sight returns slowly and in stages.
                Isn’t this how things happen for most of us?  Change usually comes in small, incremental steps.  We understand a little more.  We see ourselves a little more clearly.  We determine to become different or to do something better.  We fail and try again.  We pray and trust.  It is a process. 
                Do not be discouraged if parts of your life are still a little blurry.  Not only is it okay to grow in holiness, it is normal.  Rather than demanding perfection from ourselves or others, what we ought to look for and encourage is progress.  Movement toward God is the important part.
                At your baptism, your status changed.  Instantly, you went from sinner to saint because you were clothed with Christ (Galatians 3:26-27). 
Holiness, however, takes time.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Twenty-three Descriptions of God (Psalm 145)

  Let’s play a quick game.  Take 10 seconds and list 5 or 6 words to describe God.  Got your words?  Good!   Here comes the game part.  I will list twenty-three ways that David describes God in Psalm 145, and we will see how many of his words match yours.   David says that God is, the king, great, majestic, wonderful, powerful, awesome, abundant in goodness, righteous, gracious, compassionate, slow to anger, rich in love, good to all, glorious, mighty, trustworthy, faithful, supporting, generous, providing, near, saving and watching.     How did you do? This is not a useless exercise.  The words we use to describe God not only indicate something about how we see him, but they also influence how we interact with him.  For example, if I know that God is “Gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (verse 8), I will not fear him, and I will not assume that he is against me.  When I remember that...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: What is so Great About Grace?

If you were to drive by our house, you would see that Sara loves plants.  Our yard is full of flowers, and Sara lovingly tends every one of them. Which is why I was so afraid when she left town and put me in charge of keeping things alive. She must have been a little concerned, too, because she sent me two videos with specific instructions on how to water, when to water, and what to do.  Honestly, those first two videos helped, but the third one she sent was the one I liked most.  In that one, she said, “Please do your best. I want the yard to look good for the family reunion in two weeks.  However, if something dies, we will dig it out and pretend that it never existed!” That is what grace looks like!  Try your best, do what you can, but if it goes wrong, it will be ok. Sometimes we talk as though grace and effort are opposites.  That is not true.  They are partners. In one place, scripture asks, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone c...
Post a Comment
Read more