Far

After a long absence, I am joining the Five Minute Friday (FMF) writing community, hosted by Kate Motaung, for our weekly writing adventure. The writing prompt is, “Far.” Please click here to learn about Five Minute Friday and read posts from other members of the FMF community.

How far am I from my goal? When the goal is a tangible one, the distance can be determined by an objective measure. For example, if my goal is to write 500 words in a 15 minute writing session, at the end of the session, the number of words written will let me know if I accomplished my goal or even exceeded it.

But when the goal is something less tangible, like recovering from heartbreak or rejection, or healing from the loss of a loved one, progress can be harder to gauge. Sometimes a simple indicator of progress can be the willingness to entertain the possibility that there is an “after this” in our story. And the reason we can entertain such a possibility is the God of hope. The God of all grace. He gives us hope and a future (Jer. 29:11).

Progress

Progress involves change.
It involves movement.
It requires a clearly, defined goal
and an awareness of what is.
And some knowledge of what is necessary
to move toward the goal.

Progress does not always look the same.
Progress can be being silent
and learning to listen well
when our typical response
is to state our opinions
loud and forcefully.
Progress can be asking others what they need
instead of giving what we believe they need.

We are not always aware of our own progress
and can beat ourselves up
for our perceived stagnation
until someone who knows us well
points our progress out to us.

It is also rewarding when we take time to reflect
and realize,
as the saying goes,
“I am not who I want to be but
thank God,
I am not who I used to be.”

Progress.
Recognize it.
Embrace it.
And keep focused
on the Father.

I am joining the Five Minute Friday writing community, hosted by Kate Motaung, for our weekly writing adventure. Please click here to learn about Five Minute Friday. This week’s prompt is, “Progress.”