Progress Over Perfection: Embracing Growth in Your Faith and Life
Striving for Progress, Not Perfection
I recently read a story about a well-known pastor who took eight months off for self-reflection—to examine his life and identify areas where he needed spiritual growth. While I admire his dedication, I have to be honest… it wouldn’t take me eight months to recognize where I fall short!
Self-reflection is a good thing—not as a way to dwell on our mistakes, but as an opportunity to acknowledge where we can grow. Lately, I’ve been taking stock of my own life, and I have a revelation that won’t shock anyone…
I am not perfect. Not even close.
One of my favorite lines comes from Mary Poppins when the children ask how she measures up, and she responds, “Practically perfect in every way.” I sometimes jokingly say this when people ask how I’m doing, but in reality, I know I’m far from perfect.
Still, I strive to be better—as a wife, mother, daughter, and, most importantly, as a child of God. But no matter how hard I try, I still see areas where I need to improve.
Falling Short in the Roles That Matter Most
When I reflect on the most defining roles of my life, I see both joy and failure.
As a Daughter
I was a “fairly” good child growing up. I had my moments of disobedience, like everyone else, but I don’t think I caused my parents too many sleepless nights. Now, as an adult, I know I need to call them more, visit more often, and be more present.
I have every good intention, but somehow, the demands of daily life pull me in different directions, and before I know it, another week has slipped away.
As a Wife
I love my husband deeply, but if I’m being honest, I often take him for granted. I assume he understands that I’m busy, that my workload is overwhelming, and that he can take care of himself for now. But when I think back to my wedding vows, I don’t recall them including the words, “Take care of yourself when I’m busy.”
Love should be intentional. Appreciation should be shown, not assumed.
As a Mother
If I started listing all my failures as a mom, I could fill a book. I made plenty of mistakes, but by God’s grace, my children turned out well despite my shortcomings. I did the best I could, but I often wonder: Could I have done more?
As a Child of God
This is the area where I struggle the most. I want to grow in my faith, but I fall short—daily.
I take comfort in knowing that I’m not alone. Even the Apostle Paul, who was one of the most faithful followers of Christ, admitted his own struggles:
Romans 7:15 (NIV)
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”
That verse makes me feel seen. The struggle to be better is real, but the key isn’t perfection—it’s progress.
Looking Back: Have I Grown?
I recently heard a question that stopped me in my tracks:
“If the person you were last year could see the person you are today, would they be proud?”
That question shook me because, if I’m being honest, there are many areas where my answer would be no.
But instead of letting that discourage me, I’ve decided to start small. Big changes don’t happen overnight, but small, intentional steps can make a difference.
Small Steps Toward Big Change
I don’t need to overhaul my entire life in a day, but I can start with small, doable changes:
- As a daughter: I can commit to calling my parents and children a couple of times a week.
- As a wife: I can make it a priority to put away my phone and laptop and enjoy an uninterrupted dinner with my husband.
- As a child of God: I can refuse to start my day with distractions until I’ve spent time with the Lord.
These small steps might not seem like much, but they add up.
I will never be perfect—not even practically perfect, as Mary Poppins would say—but I want to look back a year from now and see progress.
To GOD Goes The Glory!
Have A Blessed Day!
Let’s End with a Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace and patience as I strive to grow in my faith and in my relationships. Help me to focus on progress, not perfection, and to trust that even small steps bring me closer to You. Teach me to be more present with my family, more intentional with my time, and more reliant on Your wisdom. May I look back a year from now and see the evidence of Your work in my life.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Thank you for this post! It really resonated with me.
What a great message, thank you! You hit all the places I need to give thought and intention.
Love your messages and thanks for sharing God’s message 😊
I’m a bit “late to the party”. it’s 2:00 A.M. Tuesday morning…can’t sleep and reading your post. Anyway it is perfect as always. It challenged me as always and also made me smile. it reminded me of a song my daughters sang when they were little…”He’s still workin’ on me to make me what I ought to be. It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars, but He’s still workin’ on me”.
I love those song lyrics! I’m glad to know He isn’t done workin on me!
so needed this message …. thank you for sharing
Tania-
I’m new to your blog but so grateful to have found you. Beth at “Style at a Certain Age” recommended you and I was tickled when I saw the faith component of your work.
What you said today is so important. I’m 61, mother of three one daughter who has flown the nest and doing well. We also have 23 year old identical twin boys who are on the autism spectrum. They are finding their way in I call the “Crock Pot Method”…. they’ll get done, but not like most kids in the mircowave or the gas stove. They are lovely boys. It does change the complexion of life for me… being needed more than I ever expected at this age and having far less independence. God gave me his mission for me with these children. I have to honor that and will do so gladly.
Thinking about my purpose for them, my daughter who is engaged, and my husband who is working very hard to keep the asylum funded requires some honest self examination. I love your reference to Paul in Romans. He’s and honest teacher. Sometimes it is hard for those who guide us to admit their flaws.
Thanks for helping me start my day thinking about those around me and how I can do more daily to show God how thankful I am for his blessings.
Welcome, Kim!!! I messaged Beth last night and thanked her for including me in her post. She is a doll! I try to include a Verse of the Day on my daily posts, and on Sunday, fashion takes a back seat so that I can honor the Lord with a faith based post.
I love and need this thought provoking reflection. thank you
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Tania, Thank you for this wonderful message. When I thought about this past year I would have to say a big No to some things. I have lost my parents and two Sisters. But I do need to make the effort to get in touch with my two brothers and one remaining sister more often. Good luck with your journey.
I’m sorry, Terry Ann. I’m sure it is hard to have lost two of your sisters, along with your parents. You are blessed to still have three siblings, and taking the small step of reaching out to them might feel so good.
Love your blog and your openness always, regarding your faith! Romans 7:15 runs through my mine, especially after sinning, once again! I think after reading your Sunday post, I too will start with prayer and doable small daily changes!! Though I truly know I also could fill a journal with all my failures, a few times over! I too will focus on the small steps that bring me closer to our Savior! Beautiful prayer!
Have a beautiful blessed week!
That was so timely! This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent…perfect time for deepening Faith 🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻 Happy Sunday ❤️
LOVE this!!!!
Love the message, it was very honest and inspiring. It’s hard sometimes to step back and take a look at ourselves. I have felt the very same way as you on many of the topics. Thank you!
Tania,
Your reflection today was so beautiful and meaningful! None of us are perfect, but God loves and guides us as we walk his way! Thank you for taking time to think of others with your weekly meditation!
Camilla
Great post, and a remarkable challenge. So glad we can be a work in progress with the help of Christ.
I love this so much. Thank you for a great message.
Thank you for the wonderful Sunday message!
Thank you for your inspirational post!
Loved your little story or confessions today I cold relate really well with each of your down fall and being married 60 years I sometimes don’t see how wonderful my husband is
So thank you for many good thoughts and bible verses
Wendy
I struggle everyday with good intentions that fall short in exactly the same areas that you do. Must be the age. LOL! At the end of each week I regret the ways that I have failed but thankfully I get a refresh every Sunday morning at church. I love your idea of small steps because it does get overwhelming when you are wife, mom, grandma, employee, and caregiver to aging parents. Thanks for being honest and real. God bless you for sharing your faith each week.
Beautiful message today, Tania! You always inspire me with your words and insights. Keep up the good work!💕
WOW! Love this message today! I really enjoy your posts thanks for the encouraging messages!
Thank you Tania for this wonderful reminder! I too am so thankful for God’s abundant grace, but I need to be mindful of how I can improve.
Happy Sunday?💗
Love all your devotions
They are so meaningful in our world of chaos
Keep them coming
Liz
Thank you for this message. I took a deep breath and made a promise to myself to star taking those small steps and first one is to call my sister.
I so look forward to your Sunday devotional; this particular one really hit home as I struggle to make progress in my relationship with God. I often feel as though I take one step forward and two steps back. May I strive to take small steps toward big change.
One step forward and two steps back is definitely discouraging. But, over time, it will get better.
This is perfect and exactly what I’ve been feeling . Thank you so much for expressing it so nicely!
Thank you for today’s message – I needed to hear this!
Thanks Tania! I am very thankful that even though I fall short, God’s love for me never changes, and He’s always here to help me do better.
Love your post. Thank you for this important reminder. Have a restful Sunday.
Lovely reflection post that really speaks to me. Especially the phone calls to family. i cannot say I was very good daughter or sister at calling, and now they have passed. We just last week scattered my oldest brother into the Atlantic ocean. I have two brothers and one sister now and will try to so a better job. I will pray that the Lord can help me stay focused. I will make a mental note to evaluate my progress in March of 2026.
Best to you Tania
Kate
I am so sorry, Kate. Talking to family should be a priority, but we always thing there will plenty of time, but that is not promised.
Amen….
Love your Sunday messages !
Wonderful message
I love your Sunday messages! It is indeed a process. Thank God for His grace and mercy as I strive for progress in my walk each and every day.
Thank you Tania! Wonderful Sunday message.
Thank you so much for your message today! It was very encouraging and much needed. Keep doing what you do because it matters!
Amen to your post! Have a blessed Sunday.
Such a wonderful reminder for today! Thank you!
A beautiful message that all of us should heed. Blessings to you and yours
We all fall short of the glory of God! We are human! It’s what we do! Thank you for reminding us!!❤️
This is a beautiful reflection we all can emulate at the start of Lent! Thank you so much!
Your message today was very powerful and really made me stop and reflect on how we can make small changes to be a better person Thank you for sharing
It doesn’t have to be big, massive changes. Little ones will add up.
Wonderful message!
I really enjoy your Sunday musings. I turned 70 a few months ago and I find myself taking stock of my life. Some is good and some not so good. You have inspired me to take some time to write down my thoughts. Thanks a bunch!
Wow, did this message hit home!! I fall short when it comes to picking up the phone to call my family as often as I should.
Good word
Thank you for this post and this reminder to spend more time with our Lord.
The words you wrote and the self-reflection were perfect for today! Hits home for most of us! Definitely hit home for me! May you have a blessed day!
I’m glad you enjoyed the message.
Thank you for this message, one that we all need reminders of. Thank you for unashamedly sharing your faith with the world.
Progress over perfection… Small steps toward big change… Words to live by!
Thank you for today’s post!
This really spoke to me today, and I thank you for sharing it.
Thank you for these thoughts. 😊
Amen to that! I needed to hear this!
Found it!
I can definitely relate in my own life! Thank you for sharing!
I like that question-would my last year’s self be proud of me? I think in many ways yes but there’s still a lot of room for improvement. I will be intentional to take small steps each day to improve how I interact with family, friends, students, co-workers and those around me. God put another good word into your heart sister!
You are a great writer, wife, Mom, daughter & you have a good relationship with God. Well said. I get bored a lot, wld like to work from home to make $. I have a lot of time when I’m not with my Grandkids. Thx
We all have issues we need to work on.
What a PERFECT message today!! Thank you! You have given me so much to think about. And what a wonderful time to do this with Lent starting on Wednesday!
Thank you again!
Patty Tridente
I looked up Lent last night, and I’m struggling with what to give up this year.
Wonderful thought provoking message, Tania. Thank you 🙏
Aww Tania your Sunday posts touch my heart and warm my soul. Thank you for sharing .. you’re a beautiful lady, inside and out. 💕🙏
Thank you for your message this morning it is so true and hit home we need to make more time for our faith and trust and devote more time for our heavenly father and devote more time in prayer.
You are so honest and straightforward, Tania. You make me look at myself and agree with you. Not practically perfect, but I totally agree with you. Small steps add up, and I’m going to be taking small steps with you.
Amen