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Press On

             I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 3:14)

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans12:2)

We want God to make a very clear calling on our lives, and we loathe the idea of that level of responsibility, accountability, and demands being placed on us. We want to feel special but not the work that being special requires. We want to be praised for being good enough but know we don’t measure up and believe the struggle is beyond us.

“Pressing on” isn’t about going from “can barely walk around the block” to breaking world marathon records in three days, weeks, or months. If we are to press on, however, we do need to equal or surpass what has gone before, if only by one step. We must push at the edges of our comfort zones. And, today is the day after Christmas, so if we haven’t started looking forward to 2025, we should. The problem is, we know the drill. We make the resolutions and, if we’re diligent, they last two weeks.

This is one of the reasons why I’m struggling with this. I’m tired of failing. At the same time, I have been making progress in ways that may not seem important, but that are foundational, often based on my current mantra of doing what I can with what I have, where I am, now. And within that, my prayer is that God will change my mind, and therefore glorify Himself. Not exactly a normal resolution. 

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