Take a look at the 2 side by side pictures and tell me what you see. On the left is my wife Kimberly and me on our wedding day – 1986. On the right is our 2021 wedding anniversary – 35 years later.
It’s perhaps the most concise “progress pic” of our team of 2 that I can create. Kim – I love you, thank you.
Dear reader, perhaps you’re thinking how nice we look and what a fine couple we make. You may be wondering what our secret is. We would tell you that the fine line between them is filled with countless progress pictures. A few are posed like these but the majority are everyday life: meals together, working together and raising a family together – the day to day stuff. There’s also the highlight album: holidays, events, and vacations – a lot of fun stuff.
Then there’s the hidden album. Maybe it’s password protected. For many it’s the trashcan where all the deleted pics go. These capture the misunderstandings, the royal failures, dashed hopes, broken pieces, devastation and everything else that you don’t know why you took a picture of it in the first place.
They pop up on the screen of your mind at the oddest of times for you to swipe through them and remember. They’re like digital files on the cloud that can’t be bleached away. And though God forgives and forgets you retain access. Spiritual technology is far more complex than we realize. That’s a good thing because these are your most significant progress pics.
They can humble you before God, challenge you to grow, document change, keep you hungering to be faithful and celebrate absolute miracles. Honestly, these pics by God’s grace are more beautiful than you realize. Beyond the likes and shares – the recognition and affirmation, every #TeamProgressPic together helps us cherish our team and see progress that only comes from God.
Like our physical body made up of many parts we all have several different teams each unique with purpose, needing you and your commitment. Those teams are family, friends, classmates, coworkers, colleagues, neighbors, church, those in your circles of influence and more. You may feel you’re not always up for the challenge or that your presence goes unnoticed. Resist defeat. That’s not from God. It’s your team – make it strong!
There’s one more team that no one can really fully see. It’s you and God. It’s the team that began before you were born and goes on for eternity. It’s the team that defines every aspect of how progress will happen in your life. Depend on His presence. Be set free. Progress isn’t a trophy. It’s not the pic that show’s you’ve finally arrived. It’s far more real AND beautiful. It’s your proof that God is, “working on me”.
Train strong in Christ,
-Brad Bloom, Publisher
