From Upper School Principal Mrs. Ruth Heilman
A Work in Progress – Transformed and Reformed through Christ
When does an artist know that the painting is complete? When does the rocket builder know that the ship is ready to fly? Everything is a work in progress, and while perfection is the goal, the reality is imperfection. We try to follow Christ’s example, but we ultimately fail. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV). Recently, churches around the world celebrated the 500th Anniversary of The Protestant Reformation. It would seem that things should be perfect after 500 years since Martin Luther; of course, things are not perfect at all. Hatred, division, and other sins remind us just how imperfect we are. The Bible says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it” (James 2:10 ESV). Perfection is a tall order and one that a young Martin Luther tried to achieve. He thought he needed to be perfect in order to be acceptable in God’s eyes. Then Martin read the most wonderful Bible passage: “For by grace you have been saved by faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
As parents, we don’t want to see our children fail. We want perfection for them, so we often step in and clear the way for them, forgetting that they are “works in progress.” However, it’s important to allow our children to learn from their failures, so that they may grow into adults who own up to their mistakes, get back up and try again when they fail, and learn to work with others to solve problems. CPS AP Calculus and Physics Teacher, Danielle Tornabene, tells her students, to make mistakes and get messy. Each of us is a work in progress, and Jesus died to pay for our messes and mistakes. Through baptism, we are made children of God. We are transformed and reformed each day, until that final day, when we reach perfection through Christ. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV).