Work in Progress

I'm working on a paper that I've been expanding/editing for some time now. It's on the table in front of me, open to a page that has this handwritten note at the top: partial completion, works in progress.

That's a really good way to describe SO much in my life right now. This paper is a work in progress. Not much progress has been made on it. Work on it was much more productive yesterday and a few days ago. Today has been difficult. Uphill, downhill, breakthrough, hitting the wall. It is frustrating not to be able to write like I did two years ago. I'm doing all the right things - sitting down to write whether it's productive or not, having all the necessary materials, etc. But the words don't come - it's as though I used up my quota of new or creative thoughts. That's it! No more clever ideas! You're done! Next in line please!

My house is also a work in progress. My office is finally coming together as a real home office. This summer I did a lot of clearing out of clutter and unnecessary paperwork. It felt good to be clearing out. But it's still a work in progress, not yet done. A number of things got in the way of this project (good things!) and now I don't quite know where to pick up on it again. And there's so many other little projects that I see now that I'm back in the house full time. Overwhelming!

My body seems to be a work in progress too. I meant to start on a weight loss effort after a rather shocking step onto a friend's scale. Rather than go on a diet or exercise routine, I got a root canal. It went terribly wrong. Couldn't eat much, only chewing on one side of my mouth, and then it turned into an abscess which meant only liquids. Two crazy months, and at least 10 pounds later, I got my tooth all sorted out. Time now to focus on eating right and exercising again - another work in progress.

Partial completion, work in progress. Reminds me of John Wesley's understanding of sanctifying grace. When someone recognizes God's grace at work in their life, they make changes in how they live. It's not just about a one-time change, it's about a change in a way of life. That way of life means paying attention to the work of God in one's life and in the world around you. It's an ongoing process, to pay attention to the work of the Spirit, to get rid of the clutter in your heart and mind, to make changes to be more just, more merciful. Wesley called it moving on to perfection - a work in progress. A lot like my life.