Tag Archive for: Philippians 1:6

Look How Far You’ve Come

,

Philippians 1:6 — I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Summer always ends in a flash.

Watermelon, late-night swim parties, and sleeping in disappeared the moment Mom pulled out the camera and asked me to stand by the front door for a picture.

As a kid, I never understood why those back-to-school pictures mattered.

I smiled, waited for it to be over, and wondered what there was to celebrate.

It wasn’t until college that I finally understood.

My parents had spent years doing the quiet, often unnoticed work of raising me. They corrected me, encouraged me, and loved me through every phase.

Those pictures weren’t really for me.

They were for them.

They marked another year of watching God faithfully shape their child.

And now, when I look at those old snapshots, I realize something else.

While I was busy growing up, God was patiently working on me.

Through every awkward phase, every hard season, every bad attitude, and every ordinary day, He never stopped shaping me into who He created me to be.

The parents and teachers who endured sleepy mornings, teenage moods, and all the growing pains were some of the people He faithfully used along the way.

As children, the end of summer felt like bad news.

But looking back, I can see that every season had a purpose.

The difficult ones grew perseverance.

The joyful ones revealed God’s goodness.

And none of them were wasted.

That’s the promise of Philippians 1:6.

The God who begins the work is the God who finishes it.

He’s still working in the seasons you don’t understand.

He’s still working when you don’t see progress.

He’s still working when you look at your life and wonder, “Am I ever going to get there?”

Maybe that’s why those old school pictures mean so much now.

They’re little reminders that while life kept moving, God never stopped working.

So before you rush into whatever season comes next, take a moment to look back.

Remember where you started.

Remember what God has brought you through.

Remember the people He used along the way.

You may discover that the God who has carried you this far is still faithfully finishing the beautiful work He began.

And I’ve got pictures to prove it.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When you look back over the last few years, where can you see evidence that God has been working in your life?
  • What season of your life felt difficult at the time but now looks different in hindsight?
  • Who has God used to help shape you into the person you are today?
  • Is there an area of your life where you’ve become discouraged because you don’t see much progress? How does Philippians 1:6 speak to that?
  • What would change if you truly believed that God isn’t finished with you yet?
/by

Detours, Delays, and a Faithful God

,

Philippians 1:6 — And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. 

He hasn’t failed me yet, and He’s not about to start on a random Tuesday in Monroe.

I’m driving downtown on the way to work, just me and the steady hum of my tires, when I realize something feels different. I’m not slowing down for cones. I’m also not squinting at orange signs trying to figure out which surprise detour I’ve been assigned today.

I’m just… driving. Straight through downtown. No construction. No rerouting. No frustration rising in my chest. If you’ve lived here the last few years, you know that’s kind of a miracle.

For the longest time, downtown felt like a maze. Constant construction. Constant “nope, not this way.” Shortcut here. Detour there. Reroute, reroute, reroute. It got so familiar that it felt permanent. This was just how things were now.

I even remember, a little over a year ago, getting out of the car to move and replace cones just so I could get to work. And I was pregnant! But that’s how badly I wanted and needed this construction to move forward.

But today as I drove through the beautiful, finished streets, gratitude washed over me. No, not because the wait was easy, but because it finally made sense. The construction wasn’t punishment. It wasn’t neglect. It was preparation. It was necessary work beneath the surface so the road could actually be ready for what was coming next.

Haven’t we all had seasons like that? Where life feels permanently under construction. Where you’re asking God, “Am I ever going to get to use what You’ve put in me? Or am I just always going to be a work in progress?” Where it feels like everyone else is cruising and you’re still dodging caution cones.

Philippians 1:6 says it plainly: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” He will not abandon it. Not rush it. Complete it.

That verse isn’t just comforting—it’s a firm foundation. It means God doesn’t leave projects half-finished, and it means the season you’re in right now is not wasted, even if it’s inconvenient and slow.

So, here’s the invitation. I’m taking it, and I hope you will too. Let God do His work in you. Don’t rush the cones out of the way. Don’t despise the detours. Trust that the road will open when it’s ready—and when it does, it will be strong enough to carry everything God’s prepared for you.

The wait is part of the goodness. And the finished work will be worth it.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Where in your life does it feel like you’re stuck in a season of “constant construction” right now?
  • How have you been tempted to rush God’s process or compare your progress to others’?
  • What would it look like to trust that the delays and detours are part of God’s preparation, not His absence?
  • How does believing that God always finishes what He starts change the way you view your current season?
/by