If you were ever in sports or an extracurricular activity growing up, you may have heard the saying, “Practice makes perfect�. Whether you were trying to learn a song for your recital, or learning how to throw that curveball, you kept practicing because you were convinced that on “game day� you would be able to do it perfectly!

When I was a teenager, my friends and I chose a song to sing in church. I am an introvert, so this was definitely stepping out of my comfort zone, but they assured me that everything would be okay because we were going to practice, practice, practice! At our last practice session, we actually sounded pretty good, and felt ready to sing during worship the next day. As we stood with our mics in hand and started singing, all was going well… until my solo that is. I heard the intro music and completely forgot the first line of the verse I was singing! I stood there in panic, and a sense of embarrassment and failure came over me. Perhaps if I had done it for fun, instead of seeking perfection, I would have had better results.

Years later, as an educator, we started changing this commonly used saying to “practice makes progress� because we realized that perfection is not what counts, rather the lessons learned, and the skills strengthened along the way.

This is exactly the case with our spiritual life as well, friends. God doesn’t ask for perfection; he simply asks for obedience. When we come to Him, His Spirit is the one who works within us to make us more like Jesus. Step by step we are being changed into His glorious image. The experience I had that one Sunday years ago, helped mold my character and perspective to serve God faithfully and leave the results up to him, not me.

Perhaps you have put off serving God because you don’t feel ready, or you are focusing on your flaws more than anything else. I encourage you to trust God’s will for your life. As long as we are seeking God first in all we do, we will continually make progress in our growth journey. Our obedience to God is what He will use to impact the world around us.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank you for using me just the way I am. Help me continue to me transformed by your Spirit more and more each day so that I can reflect You to those around me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.

1.    2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT).

Today’s Encounter was written by: Crystal B.