How many times in our lives do we start things, get overwhelmed by the amount of things to do to get that goal accomplished, and just put it down all together?
How often do we bust our butts at work, hoping our boss will notice, and get fed up when we don’t get acknowledgement or a raise?
How many times do we jump into new years resolutions only to be done with them in 2 weeks or less?
Many times, we forget to look at the PROGRESS we have made. Instead, we blindly focus on not getting our immediate results and just give up.
The past week in Vietnam has been pretty slow ministry wise. We were staying here during the biggest holiday of the year, Tet, where almost everything closes for a solid 9 days. The government forces businesses to shut down and take a vacation. With this being said, I was starting to get bored, so I decided to purchase a cross-stitch pattern.
Being the insane person that I am, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to purchase a 2 feet by 2 feet cross-stitching portrait. As I opened the package, pulled out all the colors of thread, and looked at every teeny, tiny square that had to be filled, my eyes began to grow wide! How would I ever be able to finish this??!?!
It became overwhelming seeing all 26 colors of threads that needed to be used and all the small holes that would take forever to completely fill. After a good 2 hours of stitching, I looked down to realize that hardly any ground had been covered! Inside I became a bit irritated that more hadn’t been completed in my time.
Regardless of my frustration, every morning and evening, I would sit up and work on this picture.
I would finish one color and move on to the next. I was determined to finish this picture. Over a week later, I’m still not finished, but I’m finally starting to see PROGRESS! The small boxes of colors are becoming actual images. The flowers are beginning to look real. The background is starting to look like a true fan. The child’s face is really looking like a FACE!
As I kept stitching, day after day, God revealed himself to me in that moment. As I looked at all that I had accomplished, I started to be proud of the work that I had put into my picture. It made me realize that’s how I’ve treated my own life for so many years. If I wanted change in my life, it had to be done immediately. If I didn’t see drastic change immediately, it wasn’t worth it.
God is helping me realize that life is ALL about progression. It truly is taking time to work on things and not getting frustrated when they don’t happen instantly. Coming on the race, I had so much internal brokenness, and my relationship with God was far less intimate as it is now. Honestly, I didn’t even know what it looked like to have a real relationship with God. He was someone far off in the sky, not the Father that I now talk to each day.
I want to encourage you today to really look back at how far you have come. Don’t beat yourself up because you are not where you want to be. Whether it be your job, your health, your relationships with family and friends, or most importantly, your relationship with God, really look at how far you have come. When you are truly pursuing something full force, there will be obstacles, but there will also be fulfillment when your beautiful picture is complete.
So today, take time to think about what you have really been pursuing? Take pleasure in realizing your progress and love how far you have come!
