I’ve shared before that I see a professional counselor weekly to help me navigate all the pressures of leading our church and my family in the healthiest way possible.
Someone asked me the other day:
What’s the most helpful thing your counselor has helped you process through?
I didn’t have an immediate answer, but after some reflection, I came up with this:
I’m learning to identify and celebrate increments of progress and build on them, rather than waiting (in vain) until I reach perfection in certain areas of my life.
So, if I respond to a person or situation in a less-than-ideal way, and I’m giving myself a hard time about it, my counselor might ask:
“How does that compare to how you would have responded to that same situation a year ago?”
“Well, a year ago, I might have thrown something across the room…”
“See, you’re making progress…”
And that doesn’t excuse me from striving to progress even more, it just gives me confidence that I can.
If you’re frustrated with your development and growth in an area of your life, maybe you need a little perspective on your progress.
Moving a little closer toward the goal is what matters.
Because-newsflash-we’ve all got a long way to go.