Friday, June 15, 2012

Practice Makes...(NOT Perfect)


This week my 8 year learned how to ride her 2-wheeler. On the first day, we simply worked on balance, getting up on the bike and pedaling. She did remarkable well, riding back and forth across the yard.

The second day, we worked on technique. How to steer. How to brake. How to put your feet down after you brake so you don't fall over. "You're riding like a professional!" I told her. She smiled broadly and said, "Practice makes professional!"

I couldn't help but laugh at her own spin on the old adage, "Practice makes perfect." Then I realized I like her version even better! Because practice doesn't make you perfect. I've been writing a long time, but I still have typos, and I still get rejected. I am a professional writer. I get paid to write. Still, I am not perfect.

Even professional cyclists fall sometimes. They will never be "perfect" no matter how hard they practice.

As Christians, we are called to live a life toward perfection. To be perfected in Christ. Yet, this side of heaven we will never be perfect. We can be "professional" however. We can move past the amateur stage of Christianity. As the Apostle Paul says, we can move from spiritual milk onto solid foods. We must keep growing in faith.

We can't just go to church. We must make regular study (practice) of the Bible, pray often, and keep growing. As Christians, we can follow my daughter's adage, "Practice makes professional." And that will lead to perfection, in the life to come.





Kelly Combs is a Christian wife, mom, writer and speaker. You can learn about Kelly by visiting her website at www.kellycombs.com

Chatty Kelly

5 comments:

Sue J said...

Cici came up with a good one! She's looking VERY professional, too....

Kari Scare said...

The emphasis on pursuing perfection is a good one. We cannot achieve it this side of Heaven, yet that is our goal. It's a point that was on my heart when I wrote my post for this past Monday (called A Foundation with No Building is Just a Swimming Pool). Love the way you illustrated this message.

Barb said...

I would save myself a lot of writing headaches if I followed your daughter's adage rather than striving for perfection! I'm just now beginning to realize how much my perfectionism controls me and keeps me from writing well - part of being "perfected" as a Christian for me is learning to give up my perfectionism!

Melanie Dorsey said...

I like this spin and perspective!

Melanie Dorsey said...

I just watched the video! Every once in awhile, maybe we should each say, "I'm Awesome!"
Sweet girl.