Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Making Progress

This has been a productive week.

I've been going through old files and getting rid of papers I don't need anymore (I probably never did, but, you know, I filed them "just in case").

I'm close to completing a big editing project for an author I've worked with before.

I've been taking long walks most mornings and lifting some weights to get my body in better shape.

I've mailed out some things that had been sitting around for way too long (procrastination plagues me).

It feels good to make progress.

It doesn't feel so good to stay stuck in procrastination, laziness, and uncertainty. Those things inevitably lead to frustration as deadlines are missed, papers pile up, and projects remain incomplete.

Even a tiny bit of progress can bring joy and inspire us to keep going. 

Remember the cross stitch project I showed you back in 2014? I talked about enjoying the process and talked about finishing the project my grandma gave me. Here's what it looked like back then:

(A small section with lots of stitches missing)

Well, of course, life got in the way and I still haven't finished that project, but recently I pulled it out and started to spend a few minutes here and there on it. Here's where it is now:

(The box is filled and a pair of shoes has appeared)

Seeing this bit of progress reminds me that I can get it done someday if I just keep working at it. Even a few minutes every few days will get me closer to completion.

I've been pondering this idea often in the last couple of weeks. 

Moving ahead.
Working hard.
Doing something right away instead of setting it aside and forgetting about it.
"Progress, not perfection." (A quote I love, author unknown)

Making progress is important in our homes and in our jobs, but it is even more important spiritually.

It's too easy to stay stuck and frustrated because we don't want to spend any time talking to God about what's going on in our hearts. Sometimes we think it's just too hard to improve, so we don't even want to try. 

Instead, we need to focus on making progress. Moving ahead even a tiny bit can give us the encouragement we need to keep going and not give up. As we work hard on taking our thoughts captive and building our spiritual muscles, we'll make even more progress spiritually. "Progress, not perfection."

Let's do whatever it takes to keep making progress.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." (Philippians 3:12 NIV)

Do you ever feel stuck, physically or spiritually? How can focusing on God help you to work hard and make progress in your home, at your job, and in your heart?