“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:12-14 NLT
Are you a goal-oriented person? Maybe I am wrong about this, but it is my observation that goal-oriented people struggle to celebrate their progress. Do you?
If you are goal-oriented, you may be so focused on the end that you don’t recognize the milestones along the way. Here’s my advice: Learn to celebrate small steps.
Every forward step is a victory. That may be a big perspective shift for you, but it will be worth the effort. Recognizing forward steps as victories will serve to fuel your motivation. What happens when you’re motivated? You keep moving forward. Isn’t that what you really want?
Backward steps are still part of the journey. The overall goal is progress, not perfection. Backward steps are going to happen. Stumbling is part of being human. I don’t like it, and I’ll bet you don’t either. Accepting the limits of being human will ease some of your goal-oriented angst. Probably not all of it, but that’s okay. It’s helped me a lot. Why not give it a try?
If you reach your goal accomplishment deadline and have not completed your goal, it’s not a failure. Look back and see how far you’ve come. Keep pressing on. Perfection is actually about growing and maturing, not accomplishment. Christian perfection is about becoming more Christlike. If God has more of you than He did when you started, you have succeeded.
Learning is growing and growing is progress. Backward steps and obstacles are opportunities to learn. Learning can also motivate you to keep moving.
Opportunities to grow abound, my friend. Our broken world will offer you obstacles to trip over. Your broken humanity will lead to distractions and flat-out failures. You are going to take a few backward steps. It’s inevitable. However, if you learn from that backward motion, you are still making progress and progress must be celebrated.
Dear friend, learn to celebrate small step victories. You are further along than when you set out. You have grown in ways you might not yet recognize. If you are a yes-hearted follower of Jesus, then I can almost guarantee that God has more of you than when you began. That is most definitely a victory!
Key Question: What small steps can you celebrate as victories?
A Scripture to Consider: “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:12-14 NLT
A YES Challenge: Look at the list of goals you created at the beginning of the year and evaluate your progress. What can you celebrate as a small step victory? Plan a way to celebrate your growth.
Prayer: Father, it’s easy to get discouraged when I don’t reach the goals I set. Help me to remember that progress is the real goal, not perfection. Help me to surrender more of myself to You and keep pressing on toward the goal of being more like Christ. Thank You for helping me achieve goals, but what I want most is to bring You glory with my life. Amen.
