“Victory is won not in miles but in inches. Win a little now, hold your ground, and later, win a little more.” ~Louis L’Amour (1908-1988), “America’s Storyteller”
So … maybe you’re not making as much progress as you think you should.
Are you measuring victory — your success — in miles or inches?
True story: There was a season in my life best described as “barren.”  God directed me on a journey to emotional freedom that led straight through the desert.
There were days I caught glimpses of healing … and days I felt abandoned.
One lesson I learned during that time? You can hold your ground laying down.
I stopped pretending I had it (my life) all together. I laid down — emotionally, spiritually, physically. But I didn’t lose ground. I clung to the Truth and didn’t let the desert season dry up my faith. I may not have “bloomed where I was planted,” but I held my ground.
And that was enough.
Inches. Not miles.
In Your Words: What victory are you winning these days? Are you progressing by miles or inches?
I’m blogging over at the MBT Ponderers today about “anchor verses.” Please stop by and join the conversation.
Comments 24
Devotion to parenting. I’ve come a long way baby.
~ Wendy
Ah, parenting.
Inches, inches … and suddenly, it’s miles.
🙂
I love that, “You can hold your ground lying down.” Claiming that today. Years ago comedian Danny Kaye sang a song by Frank Loesser, “Inch worm, inch worm, measuring the marigolds, seems to me you’d stop and see how beautiful you are . . .” Love it!
I remember that song, Dee.
I’ll be humming it all day now.
This sort of relates to what I blogged about today: fighting for contentment. But how?
In another sense, I’m finishing up another revision of my book. I want to be done by end of this month, then start on the next. It’s been a journey, for sure. Inches forward, inches backward, some time staying still. But never miles. But all those inches add up…and looking back, I’ve come a long way from that journalist/editor. She’s still there, but now she’s writing fiction and loving it. I know you know of what I speak! 😛
I do know exactly what you speak of , Lindsay …and I’m so glad we’re on this journey together.
Looking forward to reading your blog post today.
Like Wendy, I think my greatest victories right now are in the area of parenting, biting my tongue here, offering a hug rather than a rebuke there, discovering the beauty in my kids and remembering who they are in Jesus’ eyes, even when they test and hurt my spirit. Does that make sense? Love your word picture of victory coming in inches, not necessarily miles.
In the area of mothering — that’s where God has rubbed off most of my rough edges … inch by inch … layer by layer.
The irony of this day is that God is doing LOTS of rubbing on me today. Sigh. 🙂
I love this, Beth. I think I usually crave the “miles,” and forget to take joy in the “inch” victories.
Thanks, Melissa.
Powerful, Beth. I have a bad habit of measuring my life in miles (a very bad habit) and God’s been working in me a lot to change that. This was a great reminder.
Thanks for posting.
I usually post quotes that remind me of lessons learned — or lessons I’m learning.
🙂
Making slow but sure progress on three pending writing projects, all due before year’s end. It’s inches, but it’s exactly where God wants me to be. There’s great comfort in knowing that. Again, I love your quote!
So excited for all you’re accomplishing, Donna.
Wow. That is a powerful mental picture. I will remember this for a long time from this day Beth. Inches. Holding my ground.
I can’t fully express what this post means to my spirit today. 🙂
Jodi
So thankful you were encouraged today, Jodi.
I feel like most everything right now is happening via baby steps and inches– but they will eventually add up.
One specific–push ups. A couple of weeks ago I realized I couldn’t even do one anymore and so now I’m doing them every weekday and so far I’m up to 6. Which already feels great. 🙂
Love this example, Coleen.
🙂
Thank you for the reminder that our life does not have to be measured in miles, but inch by inch – I love it. Each season of life has different measurements and we’re wise to know which season we’re in. I remember when my children were born and people asked me how old they were I would say: “She’s ten days old.” Soon it was too many days to recall and I’d say: “She’s four weeks old.” After that I’d say: “She’s three months old” and after you get past eighteen months you start saying: “One and a half” or “Almost two.” When she was eighteen months old I didn’t say: “She’s five hundred and forty days old.” Each stage was a different season to measure by.
The same can be true for writing. When I first started writing, I wanted to be in the season where I measured my success in miles – but I quickly learned that I am not able to measure by that standard. I am in the season where inches matter, because it means I am moving forward in the direction towards my dreams. Some day I hope to measure it by miles.
And then there are those seasons that just holding your ground is progress. I’ve been there, too.
Ah, yes … hours, days, weeks, months, years … so many ways to measure success — and the passage of time.
I remember a time when you spoke this truth to my heart. It was life saving grace. Thank you for writing this post. Love you, friend.
Love you right back.
This is so good! I have been thinking about how inching forward gets you there just the same as sprinting. Great post.