Work in Progress

We're all a work in progress. God's not finished with me yet. And He's not finished with you, either. We're perfectly imperfect. And that's a beautiful thing. Freedom is found in embracing that truth.

We're working, moving forward, challenging ourselves, striving, and growing. We're in the process of becoming the best possible versions of ourselves.

But we're not there yet. And we're not going to ever be perfect on this side of Heaven.

We can either let that discourage us or free us.

Let me give you an example. I, for one, ate WAY too much Halloween candy last night (did anybody else do that, too?). I blame it on the fact that we had no trick-or-treaters. Did you catch that? We had a grand total of zero. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Do you know what that means for the person sitting beside the candy bowl all night long? Yep. Oops. But aside from tight-fitting jeans and my stomach's reminder to pace myself, I'm choosing to frame my poor snacking choice as graciously as I can.

It was Halloween. It's a holiday that comes around just once a year. And more than that, it was a learning experience. I learned that my candy tolerance is far lower than it used to be, and pushing it isn't such a good idea. But beating myself up about it won't change anything or make me feel any better.

I still don't have the firmest grasp on lessons I've already learned, reminding me there's always room for growth and that life is full of learning experiences. I still look to other sources for my identity, lean into my selfishness instead of rejecting it, let comparison steal my joy, and listen far too much to lies whispered in my ear instead of the voice of truth. But I'm learning. I fall prey to those things less than I used to, and I can be grateful for every step I take in the right direction.

If we let it, the knowledge of the fact that we'll never be perfect can allow us to fully embrace the less savory things about ourselves and others. We can better accept mistakes, disappointment, and failure because we know it's part and parcel of being human. And then we can be better at really living like love. Which, at the end of the day, is what really matters.