How can I remember that growing is a process?

Here's the Precious Prodigal post for August 06, 2014: How can I remember that growing is a process? #trustGod #progressnotperfection Please "Share" using this "ShortLink" = http://bit.ly/1y5zm7a

Rev 2:19 “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.”

How many times have you wished you could go back in your life and make different choices? How many times have you wondered if things would have turned out differently if you had only…or if you had only not…and you can fill in the blank. We’ve all wondered that. So if you’re sometimes saddened by the mistakes you’ve made, you’re not alone.

The truth is we can’t undo the choices we’ve made in the past or the things we’ve done wrong. Nor can we change the life consequences from those things. The good news is we don’t have to. Although we can’t change our beginnings, we can make better choices as we grow. And we can be patient with ourselves as we grow.

Patience is not one of my strongest assets. I want things to work well, I want them to work efficiently, and I want them to work quickly. While that sometimes (but not often) works on what I’m writing, it doesn’t work at all on growth or strength, whether physical or spiritual. I’m especially impatient with myself, and you may be right there with me.

It can be frustrating when we’ve lashed out at a loved one after we just apologized for doing the same thing. Or, faced with something totally out of our control, we’re overcome with fear and doubt. Somehow we forget that God met other needs before and gave us the strength we needed to face them. How can we be gentle and patient with ourselves when that spiritual growth seems slow?

Remembering that growth is a process rather than an event can be a valuable tool when we don’t think we’re making any progress. Paul might have had that very thought in mind when he wrote Timothy that he was confident God was going to finish the work He had started in Timothy’s life. (Phil 1: 6) The NIV translates that as "will carry it on to completion" You see, God wasn’t finished with Timothy, He isn’t finished with our prodigals, and He isn’t finished with you and me.

The apostle John wrote to the church of Thyatira and told them that God knew their love, their service, their patience and their works. God also knew those wonderful character traits were more and better than they had been at the beginning. (Rev 2:19) Don’t you think God knows our struggles too? Don’t you think He knows how far we’ve come or how hard we try? Of course, He does; and He also knows our hearts.

If we could change the past, we certainly would. It’s just not possible. We can, however, look back on it and use it for a measuring stick to show us how far we’ve come. Remembering where God has brought us from will give us courage and hope that He will “carry it on to completion.” And remembering God’s not finished with me is one of the things I need to hold fast.

Challenge for Today: Can you, just for today, be gentle with yourself? Can you remind yourself of how far you’ve come?