“But you’re doing it.”
That’s what my husband tells me when I vent my eternal frustration with my lack of stamina. He hops up on Saturday mornings and runs 8-10 MILES. When the weather finally eased above 30 degrees in the mornings last week, I started running again. I had trouble running 2 TENTHS of a mile. (I got a whole mile in eventually, running and walking, but then I was so sore I couldn’t move for two days.)
“But you’re doing it.”
I want results. Progress. The measurable and immediate kind. I think that’s what made the Wii Fit appealing- two minutes of activity and boom! A score. (And a ranking!) The downside is that I get too hung up on artificial measures and lose patience with myself very quickly. Real progress comes slowly after a series of incremental victories.
Writing is a slow process, lots of long hours alone at the computer with very little measurable progress. I often need a healthy dose of encouragement. Faith-building is another slow process. I get frustrated when I see myself making the same mistakes, falling into the same struggles again and again. What is hard to remember and more difficult to measure, is that each time, I come away a little stronger. Plus, while God expects obedient effort on my part, He doesn’t hold me responsible for the results. Sometimes I forget that part.
“But you’re doing it.”
Whether in areas of faith and personal growth, or health and self-discipline, celebrate that effort. It’s easy to recognize you “should”, or even have a “want to”, but overcoming the inertia and doing it counts for a lot.
What is it that you’re ‘doing’?
Lauren says
You are doing it! You’re so close! You even said the publisher’s looking at the book! It’s getting closer! I’m ‘doing’ things to try and be a better daughter and older sister. I know I can’t do it all for my sister and my brother and my parents, but, I’m trying to ‘do’ better. Hopefully with God’s help, I’ll get to that point, just like you will! I know you will! It’s almost guaranteed! Thanks for the post!!