Progress

I am half way through my degree. It's a pretty bizarre thought, it wasn't that long ago that I was a nervous fresher, terrified of pretty much everything. I don't think I am the same person I was when I started uni, it's taught me a lot. In order to get here though, it' s been tough. I haven't enjoyed this year. It's been full of boredom, pain, sadness and stress. Not a great combination really, but if there is one important lesson I can take away from it; it is the power of progress. Do not underestimate it.

Whether you've written 1200 words in a day or 100 words, it is still progress and it is still 100 words closer to the end goal. Whether you have done 5 hours revision or 30 minutes, it is still revision and it is still 30 minutes more than you had done before. And that helps. It isn't by doing nothing that you reach your end goal. Even if you feel like you are wading through treacle, you are still wading through it, you have not stopped making progress. More often than we'd like to admit, progress is hindered by the belief that it isn't enough, that it is hopeless. Why is it hopeless? You are still closer to the end goal than you were before. You are still further ahead than when you began. That has to count for something. We don't climb mountains or run races by some super power, they are done one pain staking step at a time until you reach that goal. 

And I think in our walk with God, we almost certainly underestimate progress. It's about the small steps of faith and the small acts of obedience which lead us to Jesus, and lead us to be closer to him. Whether it's putting an extra £1 in the offering, or simply telling someone you go to church or are praying for them, those are all acts of obedience, they are all acts of faith. Never underestimate that, because each declaration you make that Jesus is king of everything, shows your character, and don't think God won't see the heart behind it because he will. He always does, and no matter the size of the gesture, Jesus loves that you are putting him first. And he rewards our obedience, and heart for him. After all isn't it by the baby steps that we learn to walk?