Think of all the people it took to get you to where you are right now. God used those people to bring you to Jesus. Never forget that. While your salvation is solely through Jesus, your calling and purpose includes others. Little by little,with each progressive act you were drawn closer to Jesus. In the same way, we can avoid mistakenly overlooking progress as we play the long game and celebrate the gradual gains. Each step is foundational to building God’s masterpiece: You. God’s working hand hinges on our patience. It’s the gradual advancements of God’s plan that piece together to tell of his goodness.

The process of progress is better than the momentary miracle.

1. Faith to Follow

Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. He wanted the blind man to first experience the miracle of walking by faith, before he could walk by sight. It’s in getting away from the familiar to be one-on-one with God that is important to our miracle. We don't need to see the road ahead, we just have to follow Jesus.

2. Another Way

Jesus healed many and did so in a different way each time. For one it was an immediate miracle, for another it was gradual. After touching the blind man's eye with his spit, Jesus asked, “do you see anything?” Time and time again Jesus asks us this same question. His desire is for us to see the way he sees.

Although some visions may be incredibly blurry, perception can always be found by exercising faith in Jesus and trusting his word wholeheartedly. The faith journey is just that, it ebbs and flows, and ups and downs are a given. However, as we gradually renew our minds and our hearts, growing in the understanding of the magnitude of God’s grace and love, we come into the knowledge of the single fact that we serve the God of “once again”. While many of us may feel like we’ve lost sight of what God wants, he wants us to know that there’s always time to gain our vision back. Jesus is constantly reconciling us to himself, urging us to see the vision that he sees. So, be encouraged that slowly but surely restoration is coming, healing is coming, and so is peace—not overnight, but over time.