A Work in Progress (by Cathe Laurie)
“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12 NLT).
Scrubbed baseboards. Dusted shelves. Perfectly placed coffee table décor.
Family’s coming over, and everything is perfect.
And then . . . you see it. That stain on the corner of the rug that you completely missed in your cleaning frenzy. It’s as though a light from the heavens is shining right on it, screaming, “LOOK AT ME!” to all of your assembled guests.
And now, throughout the whole dinner, all you can think about is that silly stain! It doesn’t matter how hard you worked on the crafted centerpiece or how many times you vacuumed and mopped your floors; that stain ruined the entire atmosphere (even if no one notices but you)!
Do you have a “stain” you’re focused on in your life? No matter how much you’ve cleaned yourself up or how much progress you’ve made, there’s usually something we hold onto. It’s that one mistake, regret, bad habit, or “flaw” that sticks in our brain like a pesky stain.
Dealing with Imperfection
You might have been serving others all week, but that one time you snapped at your child because you just had too much going on, and they were right there? That’s still ringing through your mind. You might have experienced small “wins” in your life and career all month, but the fact that you’re still waiting on the big win is all you talk about when anyone asks. You might have cleaned up your life, but that one season when you were trapped in addiction holds tight to your heart with guilt, shame, and disappointment.
I’d like to argue that it’s time we celebrate the progress. We are all works in progress. And the thing about a work in progress is that there is progress! Focusing on a failure is like focusing on that one stain in the vast expanse of an entirely clean house.
Yes, there’s room to grow. Yes, there’s opportunity to learn and change even further. But sometimes, we hold onto the stain like we deserve to have it there, as though we need to be punished over and over again for our failures, as though we need a constant reminder of who we were and what we did.
But friends . . . Jesus is the master cleaner. And whatever stains we have, He is ready to erase . . . as long as we’re willing to trust Him.
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8 NLT).
Even with our sins, our flaws, and our failures, Christ died for us! And in doing so, He erased them forever!
“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12 NLT).
It’s time to celebrate your progress and move forward in life. Leave those stains to the Lord and live your life in the freedom and clarity He created for you.
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Cathe Laurie is the founder and director of the Virtue women’s ministry. She is also a featured speaker on The Virtue Podcast, at Harvest events, and the author of As I See It. You can find her weekly articles here on harvest.org.
