Pursue Progress Not Perfection~ Thursday

I recently watched a movie about the life of Gabby Douglas who is a world class gymnast.

In the 2012 Olympics, she captured the attention of the world and became the first African American to win the women’s gymnastics individual all-around.

But she walked away from the sport just a few months before this historic performance. She got hurt and things got hard. She made multiple mistakes in competition and struggled to recover. So she quit.

She walked away from her God-given skill and the dream He placed in her heart.

I have been there:

when my mistakes seemed to outweigh any progress I was making’
when the fight ahead seemed more than I could bear’
hen the reasons that got me started faded in the rear view mirror’
when the sight of a blinking cursor on a blank page made me want to slam my laptop shut and push back from the desk’
when I wonder why I’m working so hard.

When Gabrielle’s family and coaches and friends reminded her about the beginning of her journey, she was inspired her to return to the training facility and keep fighting. The rest is history.

When I get discouraged by my failures or the never-ending tasks ahead of me, I find strength in my “why.” Why did I marry this man all those years ago? Why did I want to be a mother even before conceiving my first child? Why did I first begin to write? Why did I volunteer for this role?

When messing up makes you want to quit, remember why you started.

When my “why” goes back to glorifying God, I’m able to keep going. To endure. To persevere.

Whatever stands in your way of reaching your dreams today, give it to God. He is the one who set this opportunity in front of you and prepared you specifically for it. So, cast your burdens on Him. Consider “why” you started this journey in the first place. Determine to glorify Him even in the setbacks, challenges, and failures not just the victories.

Share your “why” with one or two close friends who will remind you of it when the going gets tough.


Read more about Gabby Dawson here: Why Gabby Douglas Thanks God Even When She Falls (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/december-web-only/why-gabby-douglas-thanks-god-even-when-she-falls.html)

Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

​Author:  Liz Giertz

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