Progress not Perfection

We have all heard the saying progress not perfection, but I do not think that many of us hold to that ideal. It makes perfect sense that when you want to fix something about yourself then you should be able to do it immediately right? Yeah I did not think so either. I believe that in sin this can go the same way. Do not get me wrong, sin is sin. I just think that we look at our approach to overcoming it in the wrong way. There are two sides. The first is that you use God's grace cheaply. You do whatever you want, because you believe God is going to forgive you. That is a dangerous way to live. The second is when you hide in your shame, and let the sin eat at you until you have succumbed to it even further. Much like Adam and Eve you felt your vulnerability after a failure and hid from God instead of stepping into his loving light. This is where, I believe, our view on failure is fundamentally flawed. You see disappointment implies that something unexpected happened that is also not favorable. This is why God can not be disappointed in our sinning. Stick with me here. He does hate sin, but it is not unexpected. If we did not sin or had the capacity to be free from it then there would have been no need for Jesus. There ABSOLUTELY WAS a need for Jesus. We do sin, it is wrong, and it is our job to continuously try to overcome that. We can only do so with the loving help of our Lord and Savior. Yet God calls us to embrace our weakness and offer our vulnerability up to him so that he can be glorified. This is where strength is drawn. So the next time you sin do not push it out of your mind in the shame of guilt. Instead realize your flaw and notice the part where you did not lean upon the Lord. Then ask him to give you the strength to overcome it the next time, and the time after that. I promise you that you will start to win battles. get back on the horse, and know where your strength truly lies. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Progress not Perfection. God Bless.
-Joshua