Finishing Strong

Hasn’t this been a year from the weirdest place we could ever dream up? From storms of personalities to a historic number of weather events…from peace to upheaval…from life to death… It seems 2020 has been the culmination of everything we thought would never happen. And it t’aint over yet! But in the midst of it all, it is my dream and desire to determine how to finish this year on a good note. From a position of weakness and loss, I want to finish strong, equally, I want to be seen as finishing strong.

I woke early this morning thinking about that word. Finish. Immediately I thought of it’s two main uses in my world. A verb, as in, “To complete” or as a noun, “The conclusion”. One is an action item, the other is a place or time.

A finish carpenter knows how to take a completed project and add to it little nuances of uniqueness so that it looks even better than one thought possible. When we bought our house, it was considered complete by all the tradesmen when they had their part of the construction completed. But there was still one last entity at work. The Finisher. It was his part of the project to finish the process – baseboards, doors, lights, cabinets, knobs, flooring, paint… you know. The things you need in order to live in the completed structure! This person had all the opportunity to finish the job with pizzazz, or simply a ho-hum attitude.

Perhaps the cost of a strong finish is too much for too many and they simply want to get across the project line of DONE! But there are some who know how to finish looking good! I want to finish strong! I want to finish well!

Today. I’m not satisfied with simply saying I’m done. I want to finish strong, and that means finishing well!

Think With Me

Every headstone in the cemetery tells very little about a person’s life, but everyone who knows the individual understands their finishing moments. Did they finish strong?

History is replete with endings! Good to great, bad to worse, and “oh well”.

Every person in scripture had a finish line to cross. Their story is recorded, and the events are scrutinized by one and all. We know a great deal about those who finished well, and those who were a far cry from their potential. From Judas… to those in the Heroes of Faith chapter of Hebrews. We know so much about their lives and we judge ourselves by their example!

Who is your example?

For me, in a spiritual sense, it’s the Apostle Paul. From Jerusalem, through Jericho, and finally imprisoned in Rome when he stated:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
(2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV)

Paul’s idea of a life-ending accumulation of action words was: Fought, Finished, Kept. He fought the church, and then he fought for the church. His world started one way and finished another. But through everything, he preserved the faith and his faith.

Equally, I want to put my own finishing touches on Paul’s message. I want to have been found a successful husband, parent, sibling, son, and friend. It’s easy to let down in some of these areas, but they are part and parcel of my entire life.

Finishing Strong His Way

Frank Sinatra sang, “I did it my way…” I’m good at doing things my way. Yet, they may not be the right way for everyone else. Regardless, I want to make sure that I finish His Way the best I can.

My finishing thought today is simply this:

We don’t know when the end will come,
so perhaps we need to be facing every challenge as if it is the last one.

What’s the key? Finish strong every day you have been given. Let the accumulation of strong finishes mark your ending wherever, and whenever, it happens. In fact, take this quote from Martin Luther King and make it be your daily word of hope, strength and internal character.

If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl,
but by all means, keep moving.”
~Martin Luther King