Becoming A Well-Watered Woman In A Parched WorldSample

You’re a Work in Progress!

Much of gardening work happens in the mundane, less-than-glamorous moments—weeding, cultivating, tending. In a similar way, our faith doesn’t grow just in the big moments; it’s tended daily in the small, often invisible acts of faithfulness and obedience. 

The point of being faithful is not to be placed on a pedestal but to magnify Christ, the perfect one. When we desire perfection for ourselves in order to be praised by others, we lose sight of knowing Jesus, who is perfect. 

But the more we seek to know Christ and delight in his perfection, the more we will be changed into his likeness. This doesn’t happen overnight; it is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day process called sanctification.  

I often wish God would hurry up his sanctification work so I would no longer have to deal with besetting sins and self-centered desires. But God doesn’t work on my timetable, and he doesn’t work in the way I think he should. As long as we live on this earth, there will be a gap between the ideal and the real, the hoped-for and the happening-right-now. 

There’s a reason the self-help industry is a multibillion-dollar industry. As human beings, we are starkly aware of our brokenness, our fallenness, and our failure to measure up. We want to do whatever we can to bridge the gap and become the “best version of ourselves.” And we want to get there as quickly and effortlessly as possible. 

We’ve been wired to desire transformation. But where we veer off course is when we look for help, healing, and wholeness in the wrong places. We set yearly goals, hit the gym, and track our time in an effort to change, but we still feel stuck. 

We’re not static human beings. Whether we’re trying to or not, we change every day—for better or worse. By God’s extravagant grace, we can change to be more like Jesus. This transformation doesn’t happen quickly. It takes time; it takes every breath and the movement of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  

No matter how many days you live, you are a work in progress every one of them. As you seek Jesus in your daily life, he slowly but surely sanctifies your desires so you can reflect his image to the world around you. 

Someday the ragged garden plot of your life will be fully transformed, but that day won’t happen until you breathe your last and enter glory. For now, the Well-Watered Woman embraces the sometimes painful process of sanctification, knowing it’s the way to reflect the image of her Maker. 

Conversation Starter: In what areas of your life do you feel like you’re making no progress, no matter how hard you try? Do you tend to seek self-help methods for success, or do you rely on Jesus to slowly bring about transformation?

Getting Started: Ask God to help you see the small steps toward growth and sanctification that are happening in your life. Resolve to be obedient and faithful in your efforts and to trust God for the growth.