#8 Progress

I know I did an entire post about thawing out, but I wanted to touch on one more thing that I failed to mention: it takes time. I talked about making sure to give yourself time because thawing out hurts, but I want to come back and reemphasize the fact that warming up is a slow process. You might take an entire day to take it easy and feel like you have gotten nowhere. That’s a lie-you have done wonders with your time, but it takes consistency for something to truly make a difference. 

I have had to learn this lesson, myself with rest. It feels like I should be able to check the box, going through the excruciatingly difficult task of sitting still once, and feel great. Unfortunately, not so. Some activities do feel that way, but not all. And the lasting progress doesn’t come from those one-off moments. Sure, they can help get you started, but lasting change only happens with the patterns of time. 

And as the right changes are made over time, the feelings will follow. Those things that were difficult before will slowly but surely start to feel a little more natural to you. The key is to have faith and patience. You need to believe that the blessing is coming before it ever gets to your doorstep. You need to get comfortable on the journey so that the time you spend getting there doesn’t wear you out. And the more comfortable you get on the road, the sooner it will feel like you will arrive. Think of it like throwing on some tunes for the commute home. It makes it go all the smoother. 

And along that note, sometimes you may not notice all the thawing out you’re doing. You live in your own skin every day, after all. Sometimes it’s easy to neglect the subtle shifts that we make. I have had times where I have visited with an old friend and they have said “dang, you have mellowed out a lot. It’s like I’m talking to a whole different person!” Most of those times, I have barely noticed it until they point it out. I’ll simply go “huh! I guess you’re right.” It’s funny how life works like that.

I guess the bottom line is to have faith and patience. Faith to believe that good things are coming, even when it may not seem like it, and patience to walk the path as long as it takes to get to where you want to be. I’ll admit-these are not easy things to grow in. All too often, we want our prize and we want it now. And if we can’t have it this instant, it’s not worth having, so we give up on it. I feel like that’s a pretty natural response, so I get it. We just have to learn to keep going, nurturing the flames of our burning desire until it finally comes to pass. 

And be patient with the fact that you aren’t there yet. I like the phrase “trust the process.” It means believing that things are churning, even when it doesn’t seem like it. And it also means not taking the easy route. You don’t want a spark that erupts into a flame, only to fade away within seconds. You want a bonfire that keeps you warm all night and well into tomorrow. And to get that, you need to rely on more than sparks. 

And that’s why I love God, because even my driest moments feel alright because I know that He’s up to something. I’m forever glued to the hope that things will turn out alright, one way or another. I’m glued to Him like a tongue frozen to a lamp post, and trying to pull away doesn’t feel good. 

So take some time to accept where you are and to find comfort in knowing that you are on a path to greater things. Or maybe you need Him to put you on that path. Think about it for a bit.

Until Next Time

May Peace be your Guide.