I’d been checking in with a friend quite often, trying to encourage her with next steps. But I recently felt a prompt to not take an accountable approach. I wasn’t confident I had been making an impact, and I didn’t want to always seem to be the one pushing her forward, even if I believed they were gentle pushes. When a person is unmotivated, someone’s attempt might never seem motivating no matter the approach and the heart about it.

As I often do, I prayed for her throughout the day and received a message late afternoon with her admission she was feeling unmotivated but decided to do something anyway as she considered how she would feel when I asked her how her day was and she had to admit to not getting anything done. As I thought, she could make progress whether I said something or not. And progress isn’t always the goal. But getting stuck and sinking deeper definitely isn’t preferred.

The day reminded of how determined we can become in our approach. We can consistently try the same thing over and over with good intentions yet feel no progress. We need to be flexible and responsive. We need to listen well—to our friends, ourselves, and God. If we don’t, we can get stuck, pushy, or stubborn.

God keeps us in check, and I’m grateful.