Progress Not Perfection

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I have a bracelet that says, "Progress Not Perfection" that a friend gave to me as a gift. At the time, I was frustrated with the little progress I was making as a runner. I wasn't as fast as I wanted to be. I couldn't consistently run as much distance as I would have liked. I suppose I am somewhat of a perfectionist, but not in a crazy OCD way. Rather in a way that I hesitate to start things if I know it can't be done "perfectly." I have shied away from setting certain running goals because of this. I have hesitated to tackle certain projects because of this. I have even pushed away friendship opportunities if I didn't feel I could give that person complete time and attention to be the "perfect" friend. 

The question I dread the most these days is "How's your knee doing?" as I am not quite sure how to answer. The pain is not clearly in one location and the discomfort level can change from day to day. I started Week Five of "The Running Blueprint". Last week was the beginning of strength work. I am trying hard to complete the exercises with proper form and I have learned that I will need to invest in heavier weights in the near future. On days where I do three categories of movement; strength, core, and pliability, for example, the whole routine seems to take forever. Plus, there are days that I am just really tired. There are days where I am really hot, especially after coming home from a full day of work. Temperatures around here have been in the high 80's. On those days, I need to give an extra reminder that this will pay off and I need to stick with it. Overall, I do feel like it is helping but I can't pinpoint exactly how. I simply feel like I am building a strength base.

It is hard to not get caught up in the idea that I should be further along by now. It's frustrating not to be able to hold my planks for more than thirty seconds. It's hard watching the videos that go along with the new exercise moves and thinking, "Oh, that's easy!" only to find it quite difficult once I am actually trying it myself, knowing that just a few short years ago I was able to. What I can tell you is that there is definitely improvement from Week One in some areas. That's good. That's progress! If we reach the point of perfection, shouldn't we extend our goals further out anyway? Do we really want to reach a point where we feel we have perfected something and get comfortable there? Shouldn't we almost be thankful for our weakness which gives us the drive to work harder?

In 2 Corinthians 12:9 (CSB) Paul writes, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.' Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may reside in me." If in my weakness, I strive to work harder at my exercise routine, go deeper into relationship with others, and pursue more knowledge of God through His word, than I truly am thankful for that weakness that keeps me humble and makes me want to strive toward perfection. I will "boast" to you that I am not completely pain free at this time, that I have a very weak upper body, and that I still have a long way to go. I'm far from perfect, but I am progressing!

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