Progress

A few years ago, I was feeling very overwhelmed with stuff, and I started to declutter my house. I went through every nook and cranny, and got rid of as much possible. I still look for things to get rid of regularly as the stuff keeps coming in. And yet every day our house still needs tidying and it still feels like too much stuff sometimes. Then I wonder if I've made any progress at all in trying to live with less! But the other night I was looking through photos from a few years ago. I saw how full and messy our lounge was in the photos, and I realized that I have made a lot of progress.  Our lounge is very easy to keep tidy now, and there are less decorations making it feel less full. Even though it still needs to be tidied each day, it is way better than it used to be. 
It is similar in spiritual life. Sin and baggage can clutter my life. Even though I am aware of these things and I 'declutter' each day in my quiet time with God, I can feel sometimes that I've made no progress at all. Because I am still dealing with those same problems from way back like greed or selfishness etc. I am still 'tidying' up each day. But slow and steady does win the race. And if I am walking every day with God, then I am making progress. I am growing. I will always have things to work on, as I will never be perfect this side of heaven. But I have come a long way, even though those same old weaknesses may trip me up.