One may find themselves thinking, "God, where are you? Why can't I get better?" I think the wrong thing to do in such a situation is say, "Well, God never said we had to be the best; we just have to do what we can." While I don't think that this statement is completely void, I don't believe it is completely true either. Luckily, there are answers to these questions.
Philippians 4 talks about excellence and God's provision. Philippians 4:8 states, ".....if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things; and the God of peace shall be with you." What I take from this is that God wants us to strive for excellence. It is not wrong to try and be the best possible or to make yourself better. However, you will run into problems if you try to replace your faith in God with faith in yourself. Sometimes I find that the reason I'm in a rut, so to speak, is that I am relying too heavily on my own abilities. I'm not leaving any room for God to improve me.
Philippians 4:13 clearly states, "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." I don't think it could be any clearer. Through Christ we can do anything! Granted, nothing comes for free, there may be a little work needed on our end, and nothing comes quickly. Often it takes time to build talents, abilities, character, or whatever it is we are trying to improve. Patience is definitely a necessity. We must remember to trust God and talk to him often. He hears us even though we might think that He doesn't. Through Him we can do anything. Without Him we can do nothing with ease.
