“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
I don’t remember meeting Tom. It was somewhere near the end of elementary school. We were never in the same class, but our families attended the same Catholic church. In high school, we were in plays together. We have known each other through the best and worst of seasons, even before we were married. Watching God transform Tom has been one of my life’s greatest privileges.
From the moment he first surrendered his life to Christ at the age of 19, I have watched Tom pursue God zealously. When my own commitment to Christ brought me to the same church he was attending, we rebuilt a broken relationship and became good friends until God surprised us with love and marriage. He is not the same sarcastic boy who cut people down with his words in high school. And he is not the same fearful young man that I married. He has pressed on through a myriad of challenges, internal and external. And that is what I have learned most from Tom. Pressing on is more important than perfection.
Here are a few lessons I’ve learned from Tom. Maybe he will inspire you as well.
Don’t let fear keep you from trying.
Read more