Formation is not Fixing

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Many of us approach change with the assumption that something is wrong.
That if we feel tired, inconsistent, or unsettled, the task before us is to identify the problem and correct it.
This mindset turns life into a series of repairs.
We look for what is broken.
We name deficiencies.
We search for solutions.
We try to fix ourselves into something better.
Formation begins somewhere else.
Formation does not start with what is wrong.
It starts with what is being shaped.
Fixing is urgent.
Formation is patient.
Fixing asks, “How do I stop this?”
Formation asks, “Who am I becoming through this?”
Fixing is reactive.
Formation is intentional.
When we are caught in a fixing mindset, every struggle feels like failure.
Every disruption becomes evidence that we are behind.
Every inconsistency demands correction.
Over time, this creates pressure rather than growth.
Formation offers a slower, steadier alternative.
Formation understands that change is not imposed; it is cultivated.
It recognizes that habits, beliefs, and patterns are shaped through repetition, environment, and attention—not force.
Nothing has to be broken for formation to be necessary.
Formation assumes that human beings are always in the process of becoming.
The question is not whether we are being formed, but what is forming us.
Our rhythms form us.
Our responses form us.
Our practices—chosen or unchosen—form us.
Even avoidance forms us.
Even exhaustion forms us.
This is why formation focuses on practice rather than performance.
Fixing demands immediate results.
Formation trusts slow accumulation.
Fixing creates cycles of intensity and collapse.
Formation creates pathways of return.
In the context of daily care, formation shifts the focus away from “doing it right” and toward staying present.
It values consistency over perfection.
It allows for interruption without shame.
In spiritual life, formation resists the pressure to prove faith through effort.
It understands that transformation does not come from strain, but from sustained attention over time.
Formation is not passive.
It is deeply intentional.
It asks us to choose practices that align with who we are becoming, even when motivation fades.
It invites us to shape our lives gently, through rhythms that can be returned to rather than rules that must be enforced.
Fixing is concerned with outcomes.
Formation is concerned with posture.
Fixing measures success by visible change.
Formation measures faithfulness by return.
Over time, formation creates something fixing cannot:
stability that does not depend on constant effort.
This does not mean problems are ignored.
It means they are held within a larger story—one that allows for growth without condemnation.
Formation reminds us that we are not projects to be completed.
We are lives being shaped.
Slowly.
Imperfectly.
Faithfully.
And in that shaping, there is room to breathe.
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