Education

       I have a tendency to stop. I’m always trying to arrive somewhere and pause. But now I’m slowly embracing a lifestyle of progress. You may have heard the phrase, “progression, not perfection.” I think I chased perfection in many areas of my life because it represents an end-state.
One of the definitions of perfection from dictionary.com: “The action or process of improving something until it is faultless.”

        When I chased perfection in an area of my life, I could mark something as complete and move on. Ok yep mastered patience, check. We don’t need to revisit this lesson, what’s next God? (Caveat, patience is a lesson I’ll be working on for a lifetime!)
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       However, I’m seeing the Christian walk is a progression. I will never reach perfection, and I need to be ok with that. I need to rest in not being perfect while also not allowing myself to grow complacent.
Afterall, if perfection were possible, why would we need God?

Just me jumping with my favorite High School Musical pals...we're all in this together right??

        “If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come…” (Hebrews 7:11)

     “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12: 9)  

         Our spiritual lives mirror education. Most people go through high-school and while some may not go to college, education never stops. Learning a new language, mastering a new social media platform, learning a new interface at work, are all examples of how we all are continually learning. Our spiritual walks are the same, sure you learn the basics of salvation and the way to God through Jesus, but our knowledge shouldn’t stop there, we should always press forward.

      “Anyone who still lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement.” Hebrews 5:13-14, 6:1-2

      That is our path forward, always striving to mature in our faith. For a long time, I was overwhelmed by what seemed like a daunting path, moving toward something that could never be achieved, perfection. But now I’m excited about the journey of refining my faith. I hope you are too!