Celebrating Small Wins: Progress Doesn’t Look Like a Straight Line
At Selah Place, we see so many different stories unfold. The women who come to us, single moms experiencing crisis, have faced more challenges than most of us can imagine—domestic violence, human trafficking, addiction, and many are asylum seekers and refugees trying to find safety in a foreign country. Each carries a weight, a history, and a hope for something better. And as much as we’d love to say that healing and progress happen in a straight line, the reality is that it’s often more like a circle.
Their journey involves revisiting the same struggles time and time again. Sometimes, they go through a season where they feel strong, only to find themselves circling back to a habit or hurt they thought they had overcome. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t growing. It’s in those moments, when they revisit their struggles with new strength and wisdom that some of the biggest growth happens.
Here’s an example: one of the moms at Selah was fleeing an abusive relationship. She had been through more than most of us could bear, and there were days she would find herself slipping back into fear and uncertainty. She’d circle back to the pain, wondering if she could ever break free from the trauma. But each time, she came back with a bit more strength, a bit more confidence in herself and in God’s promises. She wasn’t moving backward—she was building resilience. With each cycle, she was learning how to rely more on God and how to believe in the hope of a different future.
Measuring success by how quickly we overcome obstacles is tempting, but real transformation takes time. Sometimes, it’s about circling the same mountain, revisiting it again and again, but each time with a deeper understanding of what’s at stake and how far we’ve come. That’s why we celebrate the small victories at Selah Place. Every time a mom shows up for herself, makes a hard decision, or takes a small step forward, we recognize it for the incredible progress it is.
Progress isn’t always about never slipping up—it’s about getting back up when you do. And each time they do, it’s a victory worth celebrating. It shows her strength and courage, even when the road feels long.
At Selah Place, we know that each woman's healing and growth look different. Some days, progress is as simple as getting through the day with hope. Other days, it’s about achieving a milestone, like finding stability, securing a job, or feeling safe for the first time in years. But no matter where they are on their journey, we stand beside these women, celebrating each step, knowing that God is in the midst of it all.
Just like these moms, we circle back to things in our lives. We may revisit challenges, question our strength, or wonder if we’ll ever truly overcome something. But it’s in that circling, in revisiting what’s hard, that God often does His best work in us. He doesn’t ask us to be perfect or to have it all figured out—He asks us to be faithful, to keep going, to trust Him even when progress feels slow.
So, we celebrate every win at Selah Place—every hard-fought victory, every moment of hope, every small step forward. Because progress, no matter how it looks, is still progress. And for these mothers in Winnipeg, who have walked through unimaginable hardships, every step is a triumph. Do you celebrate your small victories?
In Christ,
Melanie Reimer
Executive Director, Selah Place
