We all know the saying, “It’s just too little too late”. Diminishing our efforts and dismissing our punctuality. We often minimize our past in hopes of alleviating our failure to “miss the mark”. But what if we didn’t? What if the “mark” that we set out to meet and thought we missed was exactly the one that God had in store for us?
In Acts 1:7 God states, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority” (The Passion Translation Bible, 2020). To maintain control, we allow ourselves to believe the lie that our efforts and timing weren’t enough. However, God combats that lie. He reiterates that no effort or time is insignificant. Instead, these “failed attempts” are seen as purposeful.
Perfection is a thief. It robs us of our human experience. It leads to games of comparison, self-doubt, and missed opportunities. It simply distracts us from the journey that God has predestined for us. We were not made to be perfect. God wholeheartedly and intently made us knowing that we’d be a little bit messy. His hopes for us are to learn and grow from those messes.
The most common question among humanity when exploring the idea of spirituality is this – “How can there be a God when there’s so much bad in the world?”. I’d argue, “How else would we know good?”. The bad simply reminds us that perfection is unrealistic for anyone except for God.
So why do we continue to dwell on our imperfections? In doing so, we fail to recognize the places where God has moved most. A powerful worship song, “Joy of the Lord” by Maverick City Music, says it beautifully:
“There is a Savior in the valley place
He’s walking beside me and He knows my pain
God, the beginning and the end
God, right there in the midst of it
Joy, this is the Joy of the Lord”
God is not unaware of our valleys or pain. Contrary to belief, He’s incredibly aware of these. Similarly to the bad versus good debate, He uses the valleys to lead us to the mountaintop. Let me reiterate again – perfection is a thief. It merely minimizes the seasons in which a seed has been planted. Next time you reflect on your past and feel as though you’ve missed the “mark”, search for the purpose in that season instead. In times when we feel like it was too little or too late, it likely was on time according to God.
Olivia King
THERAPIST