#8 Celebrate the Journey

Seems the more I write about perfectionism, the more I catch myself having perfectionist moments. And today’s moment happened when I was hard at work. In case you weren’t aware, I work in a glorified computer warehouse, replacing computers for customers within a major tech company. And as I was slaving away to fix computers, I created a stack of computers that would take me more time to fix. We had a large quantity of computers to sift through, and I wanted to rack up some numbers before wrestling with some of the more frustrating cases. 

So I skimmed the surface, knocking out all the easy ones in record time. All the while, I was beating myself senseless over the fact that I couldn’t get every single pc cleared. The pile began to haunt me, glaring at me from the corner of my desk. It angered me that I couldn’t get them all done and it nearly drove me bloomin’ mad! 

But then I felt a subtle shift within me. For right next to my stack of maybe 10 computers that I couldn’t finish, sat a stack of 40 that got cleared out! I had to pause for a brief moment at the significance of this contrast. Here I was, obsessing over the tiny details when I managed to clear a metric truckload of work! Sure, those 10 still had to get done, but I was neglecting how much I was doing because I was so focused on what I wasn’t doing.

How often is that our reaction? How often, when we turn our gaze inward, do we see our few failures instead of our many victories? Can’t we take some time to focus on those things we did instead of the things we didn’t? I know there’s still far to go, but we simply can’t neglect how far we have traveled. We must refuse to act like we have gone nowhere!

It reminds me of how far I have come in the past two years. I’m staggered by how much I have grown and matured. And yet, I still have days where I get on my case for not being further. Of course I still have some room to grow! I probably will until the day I die! But to say I haven’t grown whatsoever would be more of a lie than saying the sun was cold! We need to set apart time to marvel at how far we have come. We need to appreciate who we have evolved into.

I’d encourage you to take some time to pick a date in the past that you can remember well. Whether it’s a bad memory, like a really bad breakup, or a good one, like your birthday, pick a day that was memorable to you last year. If you can, pick a day where you feel like your life was changed. If you can’t find such a day, don’t worry. Any ol’ day will do. 

Once you have your day, take some time around that date the following year to remind yourself of who and where you were then. Take time to remember what life felt like. Relive it all-the sounds, the smells, your favorite hobbies, dreams and aspirations, you name it! Remember that day with as much clarity as if you were living it right now. Then, note the differences between then and now. What are you living for now? If the person from that moment saw you now, would they be proud or disappointed? And how do you feel about their reaction? 

It’s good to reflect on these things. They help you keep yourself on track in life. I always try to reflect on chapters as I feel them closing. I’ll try to recall all that happened and where that has set me up to be going now. I’ll marvel at how much has changed, and how much has stayed the same. I’m still amazed at all the places God has brought me in the last two years. I feel like I can see Him nodding with approval, taking a step back to look at the work He did in me. Like a carpenter breathing a sigh of accomplishment as the masterpiece is finished. I hear Him sitting down for some rest. I’m far from finished, but a major chapter has been written in my life. Fun part is: this feels like the first of many. 

I could go into deep detail on the ways God has worked in me these last two years. I have relayed parts of it, and I will probably divulge the rest later. But for now, I will leave you with that. Take the time to reflect on where you have been using your memories to propel yourself into some grace. We all need a break from time to time, and this is your opportunity to take yours. 

I pray this post has blessed you tremendously and encourages you to give yourself grace. Someone already died to free you from condemnation, why keep yourself there? I pray your day is blessed and your heart finds rest.

Until next time 

May Peace be your guide.