Progress, Not Perfection

Cultivating a new habit in our lives is never easy. I use "cultivate" here purposely. The World English Dictionary defines it as: (1) to till or prepare land or soil for the growth of crops; (2) to plant, tend, harvest, or improve by labor or skill; (3) to improve or foster by study, education, and labor; and (4) to give special attention to. Through our daily sabbatical or sabbath time we are preparing ourselves for future growth. Our future harvest is deep personal insight into who we are and why we are. Some of us are seeking communion with our Creator. But as the definition describes, it takes labor on our part. In the case of daily sabbath/quiet time, the labor is paying attention to different things, making different decisions, setting new priorities, being willing to not labor, emptying our proverbial cups, and shedding  who we think we are in favor of who we truly are and endeavor to become. Because we have been socialized to believe that productivity and activity bring value we find it difficult to simply be. We have also been socialized that all is better than some and if we are not perfect, we are nothing at all. That is a myth. It is in the striving for and struggle towards perfection that we are at our best - when we keep trying despite set backs and failures. It is our refusal to give up, to get back up that makes makes our jagged edges smooth and tarnished places shine. Shine on, my friends! Celebrate the journey no matter how many hills there are to climb. It is after the most difficult climbs that we get to experience breathtaking vistas. Aim  for progress each day and each week. Forget perfection. Re-commit to Silence with me for the coming week.