Progress To Perfection

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

CARISSA HAS COME A LONG WAY. She has overcome being abandoned by her birth mother and stepmother, the drug-overdose death of her father, and abandonment by her first husband. But she still avoids driving mountain roads—too scary!

Skye has experienced life-changing faith that turned her from a former free spirit into a serious parent and teacher, but she is still afraid to fly.

Sandy is a strong leader, a role model to younger Christian girls, and a Bible teacher, yet she feels weak at the knees if she’s asked to speak in front of a large group.

Renee used to be afraid of leaving her home, meeting new people, and making phone calls—people basically freaked her out. Now she is out of the house for work and church, but she still feels her chest tighten when she’s forging new relationships. Small talk is fine, but somewhere in each new friendship she has to fight the impulse to run away.

Works in progress. Why do we feel that if we are not perfect, we are a failure or “less than” another person in spirituality or emotional health? Romans 8:1 proclaims, “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” Condemnation means there is now no adverse sentence.

Quit overreacting to your shortcomings. Let’s give a new definition to emotional well-being: progress. Movement, not perfection, should be your goal. Next time you are feeling guilty that you are afraid to drive in traffic or don’t want to fly alone, call one of your less-than-perfect friends, own up to the fear, ask for prayer, refuse the guilt, and walk forward knowing there is a whole team of imperfect people—in fact all of humanity—backing you up.