Fr Robert Hendrickson
Dear Friends in Christ,
Yesterday, on a short vacation to get reacquainted after the choir residency, we tried surfing for the first time. I asked our oldest, “What’s our motto for the day?” He replied with a motto we’ve been working with that is on the wall of the gym. “Progress not perfection” he replied.
He was exactly right, given that we’d never been surfing, I didn’t know what to expect. Like all kids there are some things they both excel at athletically and others that other kids excel at. They were obviously both nervous but paid close attention to the instruction.
Out they went. Our oldest got up on the board and quickly fell off. Then he grabbed the board and swam back out. Then he was on it and up and going. It was pretty impressive! He was proud of himself. He had several good runs. Then he took quite a hit as another surfer bowled over him. He was dinged up and sat on the beach for a few minutes.
Then he grabbed the board and headed back out to the water. He didn’t stand back up the first time. Nor the second time. The waves has gotten rougher. But he kept pushing for progress not perfection. But eventually he was back up and the rougher waters became something pushing him to incremental progress rather than a source of endless frustration.
Progress not perfection. That’s often all we can ask for from life — from our spiritual life and from life more generally. It’s what God asks from us. We are the ones who ask for more so often. There will be times when we need to be pushed a bit to pray, study, serve, give, or more in our spiritual journey. We all need a good nudge from time to time. But it’s always a nudge toward progress not perfection. We’re each in a race not with each other, or even with ourselves.
We’re not at the work of competition but completion as we grow into the full measure of who God has made us to be. We’re made in God’s image. We’re made in the image of perfection and our Christian life is simply the striving and loving and living that are our progress toward that whole self that is who Hod has made us to be.
Progress not perfection. No matter the waves you face this week that is all God calls us to.
Progress not perfection.
Yours in Christ,
Fr Robert