What Have You Been Calling Progress?

Tressa Ruffin

6 days ago

7 min read

Key Scripture: Haggai 1:5 KJV

“Now therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways.”

Being Busy Does Not Always Mean You Are Moving Forward

Can we be honest for a moment?

Some of us have been so busy this year that we have not stopped long enough to determine whether we have actually made progress.

We have worked. We have attended meetings. We have managed households, served in ministry, cared for loved ones, handled responsibilities, and kept moving even when we were exhausted.

And because our calendars have been full, we have assumed that our lives have been fruitful.

But I want to ask you something.

What have you been calling progress?

Was it the amount of money you earned? The things you purchased? The opportunities you received? The positions you obtained? The number of people who recognized your accomplishments?

Or have you measured progress by what God has been developing within you?

There is nothing wrong with accomplishing goals, building a business, growing professionally, providing for your family, or pursuing the things God has placed before you.

But we must understand something.

Movement is not always progress, and productivity is not always spiritual maturity.

You can be moving constantly and still be moving in the wrong direction.

You can have an impressive public life while privately neglecting things God has been calling you to address.

And before this year closes, I believe we need to have a serious conversation about what genuine progress looks like.

1. God Is Calling Us to Consider Our Ways

In Haggai 1, the prophet addressed the people of Judah after their return from exile.

The rebuilding of God's temple had been neglected while the people concentrated on their own homes and concerns.

God challenged them with four powerful words:

“Consider your ways.”

He was calling them to examine their priorities.

Not simply what they were doing, but why they were doing it.

Not simply what they had accomplished, but what they had neglected.

Not simply what occupied their time, but whether their priorities reflected their responsibility toward Him.

Beloved, that is a question worth asking ourselves.

What has received the greatest amount of your attention this year?

What has received your energy?

What has received your financial resources?

What has received your emotional investment?

And what have you continued putting off?

Maybe your work has been growing, but your marriage needs attention.

Maybe your ministry activities have increased, but your personal prayer life has become inconsistent.

Maybe you have been meeting everybody else's expectations while repeatedly neglecting your own legitimate responsibilities.

Maybe you have been focused on appearing successful while privately wrestling with decisions you know need to change.

These questions are not meant to condemn us. They are meant to help us examine ourselves honestly.

God does not ask us to consider our ways so we can remain discouraged. He calls us to examine our ways so we can respond.

2. Stop Confusing Accomplishment with Transformation

Let me make this plain.

You can accomplish a great deal without allowing God to transform your character.

You can become financially successful and still be dishonest.

You can become influential and still lack humility.

You can become knowledgeable about scripture and still struggle to apply it.

You can become respected publicly while repeatedly mistreating people privately.

And you can become extremely skilled at maintaining an image while avoiding genuine accountability.

That is why accomplishments cannot become our only evidence of growth.

James 1:22 KJV says:

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

James confronts the difference between receiving truth and practicing truth.

Knowing what scripture says does not automatically mean we are allowing scripture to shape our conduct.

Spiritual progress becomes visible in how we live.

Are you more willing to admit when you are wrong?

Are you becoming more patient?

Have you become more responsible with your words?

Are you learning to honor boundaries?

Have you become more honest about your motives?

Are you better able to hear correction without automatically becoming defensive?

Those are meaningful signs of growth.

And sometimes that progress will not earn you a certificate, promotion, public acknowledgment, or applause.

But it matters to God.

3. Sometimes Progress Looks Like Doing Something Differently

I want us to rethink how we recognize progress.

Progress may be apologizing without making excuses.

Progress may be refusing to participate in gossip.

Progress may be making an overdue doctor's appointment.

Progress may be telling the truth about a financial situation instead of pretending everything is fine.

Progress may be developing the discipline to complete something you have repeatedly abandoned.

Progress may be learning that every request does not require your yes.

For someone caring for an aging parent, progress may be recognizing the need to ask for assistance.

For a husband or wife, progress may be listening to understand rather than listening to defend.

For a single person, progress may be refusing to compromise personal values simply to avoid loneliness.

For a ministry leader, progress may be learning to correct people without humiliating them.

And for someone facing significant physical limitations, progress may involve respecting present capacity rather than constantly comparing it to what they used to be able to accomplish.

We cannot measure everybody's progress using the same yardstick.

God knows the responsibilities, challenges, abilities, and opportunities of each individual.

Our responsibility is to be faithful with what has been entrusted to us.

4. Some of Your Busyness May Be Avoidance

Here is where the conversation becomes uncomfortable.

Sometimes we stay busy because busyness keeps us from examining what is happening inside.

As long as we are working, planning, serving, producing, or responding to everybody else's needs, we do not have to sit with certain questions.

Why am I so uncomfortable with being still?

Why do I feel guilty when I rest?

Why do I keep agreeing to responsibilities that are beyond my capacity?

Why am I avoiding that conversation?

Why do I continue doing something I know is unhealthy?

Sometimes productivity becomes a place to hide.

And because being productive is generally praised, people may celebrate behavior that is actually exhausting us.

But God sees beyond our schedule.

He knows when we are working responsibly, and He knows when we are using work to avoid something that needs attention.

That is why self-examination is necessary.

5. Give God Permission to Correct Your Direction

Matthew 6:33 KJV tells us:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

In context, Jesus was teaching His listeners not to be consumed by anxiety about material necessities. He directed them toward trust in the Father and the priority of God's kingdom.

This does not mean we abandon responsibility or expect spiritual language to replace practical work.

It means our responsibilities must be approached with the right priorities.

Before November is over, ask God to help you examine what you are pursuing.

You may discover that some commitments need adjustment.

Some responsibilities need greater attention.

Some habits need correction.

Some goals need realistic timelines.

And some things need to be released because they no longer serve the purpose they once did.

Do not be afraid of this examination.

Correction is not the enemy of progress.

Sometimes the greatest progress you make is admitting that the direction you have been traveling needs to change.

A Final Thought: What Will You Measure Differently?

Before you congratulate yourself for everything you have completed this year, take time to examine

what your accomplishments have produced in you.

Have they deepened your integrity?

Strengthened your relationships?

Improved your stewardship?

Developed your discipline?

Encouraged your obedience?

Helped you become more responsible?

And where the answer is no, be willing to make changes.

The goal is not to finish the year looking impressive.

The goal is to live faithfully before God.

Reflection Questions

What have I been using to determine whether I am making progress?
Which accomplishments have genuinely strengthened my character, relationships, or obedience?
Where have I allowed busyness to distract me from an important responsibility?
What has God been bringing to my attention that I continue postponing?
What needs to change in how I measure progress moving forward?

This Week's Heart Work

Create two columns in your journal.

Column One: What I Accomplished

Write down five things you invested significant time or energy into this year.

Column Two: What It Produced

Beside each accomplishment, honestly identify whether it strengthened your spiritual maturity, responsibilities, relationships, character, or long-term well-being.

Then identify one adjustment you will begin making this week.

Do not stop at recognizing the problem. Put your conclusion into action.

Faith Declaration

I will no longer measure my life by busyness, recognition, or accomplishments alone. I will consider my ways before God, examine my priorities, remain accountable, and pursue progress that reflects His truth. I am committed to becoming faithful in both what I do and who I am.

Closing Prayer

Father, in the name of Jesus, thank You for carrying me through this year and giving me opportunities to work, serve, learn, and grow.

Today I invite You to examine my priorities. Show me where I have confused activity with progress and accomplishments with maturity. Reveal any areas where I have been operating from fear, comparison, pride, avoidance, or the need to be recognized.

Help me recognize the progress that may not be visible to others. Teach me to celebrate genuine growth without making my achievements the foundation of my identity.

Where correction is necessary, give me humility to receive it. Where responsibilities have been neglected, give me courage to address them. Where my expectations have been unrealistic, give me wisdom to adjust them.

Lord, help me become more intentional with my time, words, relationships, resources, and decisions.

Let the evidence of my growth be more than what I accomplish. Let it also be reflected in how I love, serve, obey, and represent You.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Let's Talk

What is one thing you now recognize as genuine progress that you may have overlooked because it did not come with recognition or applause?

Drop a comment below. I would love to hear your perspective, and your response may encourage another reader to recognize growth in their own life.

This blog post, including all written content, teachings, reflections, prayers, declarations, images, graphics, and related materials, is the intellectual property of Tressa L. Ruffin and God’s Blaze Setter unless otherwise stated. No part may be copied, reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or used without prior written permission. Brief excerpts may be shared for encouragement or educational purposes with proper credit and a direct link to the original post.