Finishing Well

As we find ourselves in December with only a few weeks remaining in the year, I can’t help but think about the changing of seasons. Not only the changing of the physical seasons (summer, fall, winter, spring), but also the changing of seasons in our lives. Just as fall gives way to winter, so also do we find ourselves opening and closing doors, marking the beginnings and endings of various seasons in our lives.

I’m currently in the process of finishing the first draft of my second novel (don’t worry, I already got my words in for the day). I also know several people who are focused intently on finishing out a semester of school. Others might be preparing to move to a new home, and so find themselves finishing out their current season of life at this home (or city). And still others might be finishing their professional relationship with an employer.

If none of these apply to you, get a load of this: we’re all in the process of finishing out this year, so there!

A lot of folks are very good at starting new things, but in my humble opinion, not very many people are very good at finishing things well. Curiously, people seem to like watching others finish well, but can often struggle with a desire to want to do the same, or perhaps the knowledge of how to do it.

Don’t dismay. If you’re a person who struggles to finish well, you’re in luck. It’s not too late to change and become the kind of person who finishes very well. If you’re looking for inspiration, here are a few Biblical examples who come to mind:

King David. “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, died.” (Acts 13:36)

Daniel. See the book of Daniel. Fun fact – Daniel was in his eighties when he was thrown into the lions den! 

King Josiah. “Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands belonging to the sons of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel to serve the Lord their God. Throughout his lifetime they did not turn from following the Lord God of their fathers.” (2 Chron. 34:33)

Nehemiah. He finished building the wall around Jerusalem. (See all of Nehemiah)

Paul. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim. 4:7)

Jesus. (Enough said)

In short, there are a lot of wonderful examples in Scripture of people who finished well, just as there are plenty of examples of people who most certainly did not (Hezekiah, anyone?).

So what do we do if we find ourselves lacking the desire or know-how to finish well? Here are a few thoughts.

For the desire, I suggest:

1. Ask God (daily) to help build this desire
2. Think about finishing well every day – maybe even add it to your schedule or calendar to make sure you don’t forget.
3. Take regular, frequent “baby-steps” toward finishing things well, and watch over time as your desire to finish well grows.

For the knowledge, I suggest:

1. Observing others who finish well and emulating their practices. You might consider various olympians, business leaders, pastors, authors, etc.
2. Establish the habit of regularly finishing something well, even if it’s something small like baking cookies. Positive reinforcement helps to confirm the reality that you can do this.
3. Regularly go through the difficult process of taking things off your plate in order to reprioritize your time and energy toward the most important things first. Then move on and decide what’s less important, or not important at all, and drop these things off your plate altogether. I’m reminded of Bob Goff (author of Love Does) who said that he “quits something new every Thursday.” The point is to focus on building the habit and routine of finishing well in small ways as well as big ways.

You can do it. It might not be easy, and it might not always feel natural, but you can do it.