October 8, 1996 ?
A few years ago during the Mexico City Olympics, a marathon runner finished the race so far back that people wondered why he bothered. He gave this reason: “I do not represent my country to start the race but to finish it.”
In any endeavor, finishing well is an accomplishment. No matter what we set ourselves to do, obstacles appear in our path. Sometimes they throw our focus away from our goal. Sometimes they trip us and slow us. Sometimes they put us right out of the race.
Boredom does that to me. I take on a challenge that seems important in the beginning but slow down or quit because my interest level drops. The only way I overcome that obstacle is through making sure of my initial commitment. It also helps to remember that interest levels are like emotions; they come and go. True commitment remains and continues to motivate.
Sometimes I slow down or get sidetracked by other concerns. For instance, if I am in school and a there is a crisis in the family, I will skip classes for the family’s sake. They rate higher on my priority list. Priorities are based on values and include those things we want to maintain or keep in our lives. Our values shape our daily decisions—from what to eat for supper to where we put our check mark in an election. Conflicting values cause problems. They can prevent us from finishing what we start by continually sidetracking us.
Fatigue is another obstacle that delays or prevent finishing. A difficult task drains energy and strains emotions. Stress increases. Stopping for a rest is one way to overcome this obstacle. Another is to learn how to work smarter, not harder.
Losing sight of the outcome can also trip us up, like a knitter who loses the pattern and cannot remember what how the sweater should look. Visualizing results is important so we know where we are going. Otherwise, projects are left unfinished.
According to the Apostle Paul, our race through life is not a simple dash. It is like an Olympic marathon. Our “finish line” is to become perfect reflections of Christ. Since we are not yet what we will be, we strive toward that goal. Running well and finishing well require endurance, but we also have a set of obstacles to overcome if we want to reach our prize.
Mixed priorities can entangle us. As Jesus said, some distractions are like weeds. They choke out our response to the Gospel and prevent God’s Word from producing fruit or results. He defined these weeds as “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of riches.” Worry takes our eyes off the loving sovereignty of God and riches easily become an idol and our goal. Either obstacle can choke our faith and slow our progress.
Fatigue, of a spiritual nature, also affects Christians. In our battle against the devil’s lies, the world’s temptations, the lure of our own sinfulness, we sometimes trip, fall and grow tired of trying to win. However, the Bible says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Another verse says, “Stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
We need to continue with our eyes on God’s promised results and rewards. He assures us that the good we do will have an eternal effect. He guarantees that those who trust Christ will reach heaven. When we do, we will be like Him. What a great reward!
As for boredom, some assume the Christian race is dull, but boredom is seldom an obstacle for anyone who is in the running. When we give our lives to Christ, we become His representatives; we make a commitment to start the race and He makes sure we will finish it.
Showing posts with label finishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label finishing. Show all posts
Monday, December 26, 2016
Monday, November 17, 2014
Pressing on .................... Parables 197
December 27, 1989
When Simon, my editor, told me this issue would be a year-end wrap-up, the first thought that entered my mind was a rather long list of unfinished projects that I’d certainly like to wrap up. However, that wasn’t what he had in mind. “Review highlights,” he said.
Later that day, while wrapping up Christmas gifts, the idea of year-end wrap-up again came to mind. Again, I thought of the unfinished but also some of the accomplishments of 1989. As those encouraged me, I began to think about what I would like to wrap up in 1990. But then there’s that unfinished list; what should be done with it?
Everyone knows what it’s like to end a year or a decade with a handful of “I wish I had’s”. People we wanted to visit... but they left following an Allied moving van; books we wanted to read... but the library retired their last copy; children we wanted to play hopscotch with... but suddenly they were too busy buying grad rings and planning classes at U of A. Some items on my “to-do” list will never be wrapped up.
Paul the Apostle may have felt the same way. He was doing a wrap-up of sorts concerning his goal of becoming more like Jesus Christ. (From personal experience, I know how unfinished that goal always feels.) He said, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on... forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal...”
His words translate into good advice at wrap-up time: 1] He knew where he was, 2] realized some things were accomplished and 3] some things were not. 4] Then he put the “I wish I had’s” behind him and pressed on. So I decided to wrap up 1989 following his advice. Here’s my wrap-up list:
PHYSICAL WRAP-UP: Evaluation: Not too bad but I’ll probably eat too much over Christmas.
Accomplishments: 4 miles on the bike or 45 minutes on shank’s mare 5 times a week.
Leftovers: Five stubborn pounds that I don’t want left in front or behind me.
Pressing On: A long look in a full-length mirror right after Christmas (agreed, it’s a distasteful suggestion) then do something about it.
MENTAL WRAP-UP: Evaluation: Memory loss and lethargy hopefully related to over-booking my brain, not age; great relief that there is a spelling checker in my word processor because by the time I get down Webster’s, I can’t remember the word I was going to look up.
Accomplishments: High marks in a college credit course.
Leftovers: One half-written short story, a dozen magazine articles that should be sent out, a host of crossword puzzles I got tired of or didn’t have a clue regarding the answers.
Pressing on: Learn how to use WORD PERFECT 5.0 in 1990, with passing expertise.
SOCIAL WRAP-UP: Evaluation: Too many friends still apologize for “bothering” me when they call.
Accomplishments: Deeper friendships with more people.
Leftovers: Owe letters to some, calls to a few and visits to one or two.
Pressing On: Continue convincing friends they are more important than most anything I might be doing at the time they think they are “interrupting” me.
SPIRITUAL WRAP-UP: Evaluation: I’m still God’s child, despite my failures and foibles.
Accomplishments: By God’s grace, overcame two bad habits and began several good ones.
Leftovers: The page isn’t large enough.
Pressing One: Day by day responding to whatever the Lord shows me I must do, making corresponding plans and trusting Him to pull it off.
The future stretches before us like blank pages of a notebook. Whether we add in the unfinished or start with some fresh new goals, the old decade ends and God gives us a brand new one. Here’s to wrapping up by leaving the past with Him and beginning the next year, or month, or even the next week, day or hour, with a decision to press on to greater Christ-likeness.
When Simon, my editor, told me this issue would be a year-end wrap-up, the first thought that entered my mind was a rather long list of unfinished projects that I’d certainly like to wrap up. However, that wasn’t what he had in mind. “Review highlights,” he said.
Later that day, while wrapping up Christmas gifts, the idea of year-end wrap-up again came to mind. Again, I thought of the unfinished but also some of the accomplishments of 1989. As those encouraged me, I began to think about what I would like to wrap up in 1990. But then there’s that unfinished list; what should be done with it?
Everyone knows what it’s like to end a year or a decade with a handful of “I wish I had’s”. People we wanted to visit... but they left following an Allied moving van; books we wanted to read... but the library retired their last copy; children we wanted to play hopscotch with... but suddenly they were too busy buying grad rings and planning classes at U of A. Some items on my “to-do” list will never be wrapped up.
Paul the Apostle may have felt the same way. He was doing a wrap-up of sorts concerning his goal of becoming more like Jesus Christ. (From personal experience, I know how unfinished that goal always feels.) He said, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on... forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal...”
His words translate into good advice at wrap-up time: 1] He knew where he was, 2] realized some things were accomplished and 3] some things were not. 4] Then he put the “I wish I had’s” behind him and pressed on. So I decided to wrap up 1989 following his advice. Here’s my wrap-up list:
PHYSICAL WRAP-UP: Evaluation: Not too bad but I’ll probably eat too much over Christmas.
Accomplishments: 4 miles on the bike or 45 minutes on shank’s mare 5 times a week.
Leftovers: Five stubborn pounds that I don’t want left in front or behind me.
Pressing On: A long look in a full-length mirror right after Christmas (agreed, it’s a distasteful suggestion) then do something about it.
MENTAL WRAP-UP: Evaluation: Memory loss and lethargy hopefully related to over-booking my brain, not age; great relief that there is a spelling checker in my word processor because by the time I get down Webster’s, I can’t remember the word I was going to look up.
Accomplishments: High marks in a college credit course.
Leftovers: One half-written short story, a dozen magazine articles that should be sent out, a host of crossword puzzles I got tired of or didn’t have a clue regarding the answers.
Pressing on: Learn how to use WORD PERFECT 5.0 in 1990, with passing expertise.
SOCIAL WRAP-UP: Evaluation: Too many friends still apologize for “bothering” me when they call.
Accomplishments: Deeper friendships with more people.
Leftovers: Owe letters to some, calls to a few and visits to one or two.
Pressing On: Continue convincing friends they are more important than most anything I might be doing at the time they think they are “interrupting” me.
SPIRITUAL WRAP-UP: Evaluation: I’m still God’s child, despite my failures and foibles.
Accomplishments: By God’s grace, overcame two bad habits and began several good ones.
Leftovers: The page isn’t large enough.
Pressing One: Day by day responding to whatever the Lord shows me I must do, making corresponding plans and trusting Him to pull it off.
The future stretches before us like blank pages of a notebook. Whether we add in the unfinished or start with some fresh new goals, the old decade ends and God gives us a brand new one. Here’s to wrapping up by leaving the past with Him and beginning the next year, or month, or even the next week, day or hour, with a decision to press on to greater Christ-likeness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)