Finishing well

I have learned something about myself.

I am better at starting than finishing.

Lots of ideas generate in my head. I get excited about them, passionate even. I plan and usually begin to execute.

Then I fade. I get discouraged or uninterested or distracted. Or just plain lazy.

And too many times I abandon the project/goal/new idea.

Sometimes, though, I press on. Slogging away to be a finisher and not a quitter. Often I experience renewed enthusiasm but much of the time, I am just glad when I have completed the task.

As I pondered this insight into my psyche ( LOL), i thought about how much Scripture talks about finishing well. Seems like way more emphasis is placed on finishing instead of exciting beginnings. There are plenty more verses than these below but here are some that caught my attention:

Acts 20:24

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

.1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Philippians 3:14

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

2 John 1:8

Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.

God tells us that HE is faithful to finish what He starts! Philippians 1:6 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.

And my current favorite: Ecclesiastes 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

So what are we to do with all this? Maybe it’s just me but if you need some focus, too, here is where I am landing -

Finishing matters. It’s a matter of faithfulness and it matters. Starting is great (so very thankful for the visionaries and the dreamers) but finishing is what ultimately matters. Maybe for lots of reasons but one of the main ones has to be because it models the faithfulness of God. He finishes what He starts. He is faithful to do all He has promised. He doesn’t just get excited and have a great idea - HE FINISHES.

So I need to, too.

Where is the key to finishing? First, acknowledging that it is important. That it matters. Next, looking to HIS faithfulness and desiring to model it. Such a great reminder to set before my eyes - HIS faithfulness! So encouraging, so motivating, so very helpful.

Last key I see is found in that passage in Ecclesiastes. The end is better than the beginning. Better to be patient than proud. Patient. Not proud. What is that telling me? That finishing requires humility. Perseverance is not something that will come naturally. Finishing well will not be a result of my human effort; God is not looking for me to grit my teeth to get through. Rather, what He requires is for me to acknowledge not only the importance of finishing well but especially my inability to do so in my flesh. I NEED HIM. He seems to be saying in this verse that He wants us to look to Him, to wait for Him, to depend on Him. And His grace will see us through….HE will complete what He has begun!

Criticism

I was blessed to grow up in a home where criticism was not part of our vernacular. We simply did not criticize. Or complain. Not even when it was "merited". How my parents achieved that, I do not know!

I became a quick learner, though, let me assure you. On my own, I managed to master the art, even falling prey to the idea that criticism was "helpful" to others. How would they ever change their ways, I reasoned, unless I told them where they were wrong? This "skill" grows exponentially when practiced even a bit, I soon learned. The more I criticized, the more things I saw that "needed" criticizing. Once put into motion, criticism can quickly become a way of life, a lens through which all persons and activities are filtered.

A lens which turns toxic. Towards those on the receiving end. But also on the viewer. A critical spirit is difficult to live with as well as to house inside one's own soul.

One day I stumbled on a verse. James 4:11. Pretty simple. It says Do not speak against another.

We can try and "adjust" it to say something else but it translates very clearly -- do not criticize. The verse doesn't have parentheses to include exceptions for poor service or irritating people or trampled rights. It just says not to criticize. I decided I needed to change. It's hard going sometimes but by God's grace, I am learning not to criticize. It's hard to balance times of needed parental correction against criticism. I am constantly in need of wisdom.

Sometimes these blog posts are hard to write. I often falter. I don't get it right. A lot. But I want to share my journey with you. In hopes that you will find some grace and encouragement alongside me.

Take, for instance, today.

I received some really awful customer service today. And with my past corporate background, I am tuned in to know that customer service is an important aspect of training and expectations. When I don't get it, I am disappointed. Today, I was disappointed and then some. After all, I had been a loyal customer of this business for many years. I had given this place a bunch of money. And I was treated poorly by an employee that clearly didn't give a rip. I was tempted to post something on FB just to vent. So that other people could take my side, weigh in, maybe even share their own lousy experiences at this place. Then I decided I'd do the more mature thing and complain to the home office. In fact, I concluded, it was the right thing to do. After all, this place had their website posted and invited customers to contact them so they could provide better service. Yep, I would be doing them a favor.

I pulled up their site, clicked on "customer service" and started my email. I would be polite, but firm. Just state the facts. And convey the error of their ways. My words poured out.

Then that verse above came to mind. And one in the next chapter of James - vs. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another.

I chatted with myself for a couple of minutes. Wouldn't it be helpful to let the higher ups know what a terrible experience I had today? I had already realized it wouldn't be right to vent on FB, where readers were neither part of the problem nor part of the solution but couldn't I at least complain to, I mean, share with, the home office? This would be helpful..........I was justified......It's the truth......

Heart check. What did I want as resolution? Did I really want this to help those employees to become better people? Or did I hope, even just a little bit, that somebody would get in hot water for what they did? Did I even hope that I would benefit in some way, a discount or freebie or even just an accolade?

I am not saying there is never a time to report bad service. Or to share an unfortunate experience. I do suggest a heart check first. And a prayer for wisdom. And a longing to err on the side of being TOO UNcritical and UNcomplaining.

I didn't send the email.

And I won't tell you who the company was. :)

In times of uncertainty....

And do when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His authority, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be My witnesses, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:6-8

Very familiar passage. Jesus had just died and been resurrected. The reality of Him was increasingly resonating with them. He appeared to not only His disciples, but also hundreds of His followers over a period of 40 days. Things had really seemed dark and dismal for a while but now the disciples were hopeful things had taken a dramatic turn for the better. I can track with their thinking that certainly the tough times for God’s people were over and Jesus was ready to fulfill all those prophecies they had been waiting for. Surely the Kingdom of God was in effect - and they were poised to rule with King Jesus! If this had been a national championship, the t-shirts were already printed and ready to be distributed!

They just needed a “go” from Christ….

But that’s not what they got.

Instead of nodding affirming assurances to their question about timing of the Kingdom, Jesus responds strangely. Actually feels abrupt.

He not only says “no, it’s not now” - He also says “and you don’t get to know when it will happen, either”. They were plunged into uncertainty. Deliberate uncertainty.

Scripture doesn’t record the response of His disciples to this. Maybe by now they had learned to expect the unexpected from Jesus but I have to believe there was at least a gasp or two. Surely they had to feel a little emotional whiplash at the ups and downs they had experienced over these six weeks!

Although we are not told the flow of the conversation, it doesn’t appear that Jesus left them in the state of perplexity for long. While He doesn’t give them the answer they were looking for, He gives them something better. He tells them that they don’t need to know what and when and how anything is going to unfold because He is giving them power. The Holy Spirit. Power to live in the uncertainty. Power to be sustained. Power to have confidence and peace without knowing all the answers.

Jesus not only gives them power in uncertainty - He gives them a mission. To be His witnesses all over the earth. He doesn’t tell them how they will accomplish it - He just tells them to do it and He supplies the power. Power to not only live in the uncertainty but also to be fruitful and victorious.

And we know the rest of the story. We are living proof that they carried out His mission. And the baton has been passed from that generation of Christ-followers to the next. All through the ages. And, Lord willing, that will continue until the Father tells Jesus it is time to get His Bride:)

As I read those verses and put myself in the mindset of the disciples, I was struck by how much I am like their question in verse 6. More often than not, I find myself acting like a child facing an unknown event or schedule. I ask questions (and not just of the Lord!!) like what time, where, how, who, what do I need to do. And I do it over and over again, just to be sure I get it. I really really really like knowing what I am about to face before I face it! I am seeking comfort and security in knowing what to expect and what will be expected of me. In times of uncertainty - whether it’s plans for a family trip or teaching schedule or who’s coming for dinner or the results of medical tests - I feel unsettled until I know some answers.

I felt the Lord speaking to me in the rest of that passage, telling me that I can live in the uncertainty - of small things AND of big things - because I don’t need the answers. I need JESUS. And He is available to me all the time because He gives me His Holy Spirit. I can trust that I will have the strength and wisdom and confidence I need for whatever may come because He has promised me POWER. The power to live victoriously in the uncertainty. The power of the Holy Spirit.

And this power He gives is not just for my peace (although that is a humongous part of it!) but also for my participation in His mission. I won’t have to stumble along in fear and confusion - He will guide me into the places He wants me so His Kingdom will be furthered. It’s all bigger than “me” - it’s about HIS plans, not mine. And there is no need for me to know the details of those plans in advance.

So, I may still pester my people to give me an ETA for holiday dinner, but I am more content to live in the uncertainty of life. To seek to be filled - controlled and directed - by the Holy Spirit more than I seek the answers for the details of the unknowns.

God's Who's Who

Ever since I was a teenager, I've read books and heard talks that sought to inspire the recipients to reach for the stars, dream the big dreams, do the impossible.  Those messages are appealing and inspirational indeed.  And I am all for doing things excellently, not shabbily.  But today, I'd like to examine these messages through the microscope of Scripture and see if perhaps we need to exercise caution in our reaching and dreaming and doing....

First, I concur that we should heed Colossian 3:23  Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.   Christians should be known for being the best workers, most cheerful attitudes, and of greatest service to the organization.  The problem I have with some of these books and talks, though, is that the last phrase of this verse is often unheeded.  They don't encourage us to do great work for the Lord's reputation, but rather to enhance our own.  How to "get ahead", how to "succeed", how to "have a great career/marriage/kids" etc. Including "how to have a big church...." as opposed to how to advance HIS fame.

Next, on the "dream big" thing.  Check out this verse and see if you think it is consistent with that mindset.....

I Thessalonians 4:11,12

11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, 12 so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need.   

I know I am in unusual territory.  I know it doesn't sound right for me to suggest to teens and young adults "Don't aspire to be great.  Just aspire to lead a quiet life and work hard and treat people right"  I now that doesn't make for great conference speeches or book titles or conversation fodder.  But isn't that exactly what this passage teaches? 

Work hard, yes.  But not to advance your own interests.  Be ambitious, yes.  But let your ambitions be to lead a life that is not "grand" or "admirable" but rather one that treats others right.  Sometimes grand things do indeed come but they should come from God's hand, not from our pursuit, for His fame, not our pleasure.

The world will probably not make note of our accomplishments if we obey these verses.  Most likely, we won't be applauded or acclaimed or emulated very much.  At least not here.  But check out what God says in Malachi 3:16  Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who esteem His name.

A book of remembrance written for the Lord Himself.  Better than any earthly listing in Who's Who.