This summer has provided more free time than I can ever remember, and it’s been a wonderful blessing. I’ve been able to make progress in several ways.
- We’ve been eating better — more eating at home, less eating out.
- I’ve been exercising, trying to walk every other day.
- I’ve been enjoying time reading and updating the blog, writing a little more here or just in my journal.
- Along with my mom, we’ve hosted a summer Bible study and daily benefited from studying the life of Gideon (Judges 6-8) together with a group of women of all ages.
- I’ve been working less and doing a lot to prepare for a busy fall when school begins later this month.
- We’ve taken care of dental visits and well checks for the kids.
- We’ve started college visits!
- We’ve done some traveling, seen extended family, and celebrated the life of my beloved uncle who went to be with the Lord.
- We also celebrated birthdays and life in meaningful ways.
All in all, it’s been not only a good summer, but one in which I can see progress. You know the defeating saying, “two steps forward, three steps back”? I feel like for us, it’s been “three steps forward, two steps back” or some variation on that where we’ve moved forward and made progress, not perfectly, sometimes going back a little, but then surging ahead again. For this, I am thankful.
The ongoing process of sanctification (our ongoing growth in the Lord, being set apart for His use) is a good one, where the Lord is continuing His good work in us until its completion at the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).
But it’s sometimes also a hard process! It seems to require our active participation, that we continue to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, trusting and waiting on God to do all that He has planned (Philippians 2:12-13). We don’t trust in the seen, but the unseen. We hope in God, resting in His promises revealed to us in His Word. Sometimes we must wait to see how it will all work itself out.
So we trust Him, walk by faith, without sight, hoping and waiting in confident expectation that God will act on our behalf and finish the good work.
All of this, this sanctification is ongoing. We won’t be perfect here on earth, but we can make progress. And I am filled with hope that God will finish what He has started, and I look to him and find Him near on the journey as we walk by faith.
Praise Proclaimer 