Daniel Kawesa delves into the struggles we have chasing perfection and the importance of our relationship with God
It’s a new year. We have battled through January, and you’ve probably already started working on the ‘new you’. Or maybe like me you’ve dragged parts of the ‘last year you’ through January, hoping no one notices.
Every year, we do this ritual of renewal. We promise to shed old habits, open fresh chapters and become better versions of ourselves. We set goals for our health, finances, faith, relationships and personal growth. Some of those goals are realistic. Some are wildly optimistic. And some if we’re honest make even our own conscience look at us sideways and say, ‘We both know this will take a miracle.’ But we write them down anyway. Because dreaming big is part of being human.
I’ve come to understand this struggle as a war between the body and the spirit. The body wants comfort, pleasure and ease. The spirit wants growth, discipline and purpose.
How can we stay consistent?
Planning, I’ve learned, is the easy part. Starting is harder. Staying consistent is even harder. Somewhere along the way, it becomes painfully clear that the biggest obstacle to my goals isn’t time, money or circumstances; it’s me! At times, I feel like my own enemy. Laziness creeps in. Procrastination takes over. And then guilt follows closely behind. This struggle isn’t new. Even the Bible acknowledges it. The apostle Paul puts it into words I still relate to deeply:
‘For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do this I keep on doing’ (Romans 7:19)
When I read that, I feel seen. The inner division I sometimes carry isn’t a personal failure it’s part of being human.
I’ve come to understand this struggle as a war between the body and the spirit. The body wants comfort, pleasure and ease. The spirit wants growth, discipline and purpose. Scripture says it plainly: ‘For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh’ (Galatians 5:17)
There is no alignment. Only tension. When I lose that battle, my first reaction is often self-hatred. But I’ve learned something important: condemnation has never made me better. Shame has never transformed me. ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1)
Our relationship with God is key
Willpower alone has never been enough for me and it was never meant to be. For a long time, I tried to fix myself without involving God, even though I knew deep down that achieving real change would require more than my strength. Scripture reminds me why: ‘For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfil his good purpose’ (Philippians 2:13)
God works on both the desire and the discipline. My role is surrendering rather than perfection. So, as this year continues, I’m choosing to slow down and invite God into my resolutions. I’m learning not to wait until I feel strong, but to come as I am. Because my struggle is not my identity.
I am not a failure.
I am not lazy.
I am not broken beyond repair.
I am a work in progress. And I hold on to this promise: ‘He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion’ (Philippians 1:6)
May this be the year we recognize God at work not just around us, but within us.
