361 – I resolve to…finish

#faithbites #faithjourney finish

Yesterday, we started the resolve series here at #faithbites with a resolution to work on anger. Today, we continue with looking at finishing what you start.

For you Disney fans, you may remember the dog in Up. He was easily distracted by SQUIRREL. I am that dog. I find things that are shiny and they gain my attention, detracting from everything else. From video games to hobbies to books to service to a person, this could be anything. When this occurs, I spend my free time working on that thing at the expense of others. Over time, something new sparks my interest and we start again.

Every time I do that, it hurts. It’s exciting to start something new, but knowing that I left something unfinished hangs on me. Worse still, is if I left something undone that impacts someone. Maybe I didn’t call someone on their birthday or finish a project someone wanted, so something simple like forgetting to do something my kids asked me to do.

It is easy in our 24 x 7 X 365 world to get distracted and focus on the shiny. But how can we finish what we start?

Scripture

• And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. – Philippians 1:6
• I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. – 2 Timothy 4:7
• Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. – Genesis 2:1-3
• For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ – Luke 14:28-30

Reflection

Christ empowers us to finish what we started. If you begin a good work you will finish it at the end. When your days are over, you want to be able to say you have fought the good fight, ran a good race, and kept the faith. These aren’t easy to do. We can get distracted with sin, temptation, and laziness.

In my dissertation writing, I have wanted to stop many times. I look at it and don’t see what I will get when I’m done. There is no guaranteed promotion or raise, no immediate new opportunities, just the satisfaction of having it done. That’s great and all, but when the realities of work, family, children, and everything else come up, it’s hard to find the time to write and finish.

All of this being said, we are reminded in Luke that we need to look at the cost of something before we start. We need to see if we have all of the time, energy, and resources to finish what we started. For if we don’t, we will be labeled as a quitter or one who doesn’t finish.

Our Lord is a prime example. He knew that he would give his life for us. He fought the good fight and did everything he needed to bridge us with our father. Even his last words were, “It is finished” (John 19:30). We should use this example to ensure we finish what we started and make the best choices before starting something new.

Charge

Do you actively quit things you start? Maybe, and I think this is much worse, you just let those things fade away. First, resolve this year to only start things that you have prayed on and have the resources to finish. Then, if there is something you can’t do, actively quit and let someone else do the job.

Lord, give me the strength finish all that I start. Give me the knowledge to know my limitations so I don’t take on too much or let others down. Let me us you Jesus as an example of how to finish what I have started.