The Joy of Making Progress

Concerning the many varied responsibilities of gospel ministry, Paul told Timothy to, “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress” (1 Tim. 4:15).

He didn’t say, “Wait until you have it all together”, or “Let all see your curated online persona.” Instead, he said, “Make progress.” How freeing. We can all make progress.

As I’ve sought to slowly re-boot my online writing, I reviewed everything I’ve posted on Life in the Story after a ten-year hiatus. That was humbling.

I was mainly active from 2009-2014. In some ways, those were the Wild West of blogdom. “Rules” were still being written. People were still figuring out Twitter vs Facebook vs blogs (let alone, MySpace, Google+, etc.).

For example, I occasionally put photos on my blog. This wasn’t entirely unheard of because, for perspective, Instagram didn’t go public until October 2010. It seemed like new social media platforms were constantly starting, and who was to say what would become of this newfangled “Instagram”?

So, as I scrolled through my years of posts, I repeatedly faced the question, “Should I delete this?” Certain posts were easy: broken links (delete), past conferences (delete), indecipherable photos (delete), and thoughts I now disagree with (delete).

But, others were not as easy, as I thought: “This is true, though I’d say it differently now”, “This photo resolution is terrible”, “This is not written well”, and “Why did I post this?”. I wondered, “Should I just start over?” Or, a more significant question, “How deeply will I curate perceptions of my progress?”

It dawned on me that the premise of “life in the story” is that we live within God’s unfolding story, journeying home, in Christ. Such a perilous journey, like all journeys, will inevitably entail progress—so, shouldn’t I expect my writing, posting, and online presence to reflect that?

Two thoughts emerged.

First, I’m grateful for the God-given courage to not wait until I achieved what I perceived to be an adequate level of maturity, influence, or writing style before doing something. Analysis-paralysis is real. Perfection is a tyrant. If we wait until ideal circumstances, we will usually never get around to it.

So, beware of analysis-paralysis. Will you agree with everything you say now, in ten years? Probably not. Will you wish you did things slightly differently? Most likely. Should you do everything possible to avoid that? Sure. Will you continue to grow? Yes. After all, a person in progress is the only kind of person there is.

Second, I thought my progress could serve as an encouragement to others in their journey. Isn’t it helpful when you see God at work in the lives of others? It’s meant to make us think, “If Jesus can do that in their life, then he can do that in mine.” This is why Paul exhorted Timothy to let others “see your progress” (1 Tim. 4:15).

For this reason, if you’re wondering, I chose to leave most of my old posts up.

It’s noteworthy that Paul wanted others to “see” this progress in Timonthy’s life. Progress-making is a very public endeavor, which makes it humbling, but it is essential. While most of us would prefer to be perfected behind the scenes, followed by a great reveal, that is not usually God’s way.

Instead, God uses our progress to spur others on in theirs. Understanding this, paradoxically, takes a world of weight off our shoulders. He can unfold His purposes just fine using our meager public progress—no perfection required—which can lead to great joy in the journey, not just the destination.

So, let’s get after it, for Jesus. Don’t give up. Seek counsel, of course, but then take those faith-filled risks. Critics are going to critique. Just keep learning. Take the next step. Enjoy the journey, not merely the destination. Make progress. You’ll be surprised how far you can get.