Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The trouble with following through...

I have found that it is ALWAYS easy to start something. Whether it be a project, a change of routine, a good intention, a goal, etc. It is exciting to try & start something. The motivation is there. The anxiousness to get it done is there. It is easy to start, but it is much harder to finish something. It ends up being a bigger project than we realized. It is going to take much longer than we anticipated. We start to lose our motivation. We get discouraged perhaps, & eventually we decide to take a break. Then that break turns into an extended break, which turns into something that is left undone. And there it is... that rut that we get stuck in, with many things half-done, but nothing to show for our effort; with all those goals that never were reached.

It is frustrating & irritating. We walk past that half-done project every day and think, "I am going to finish that this weekend." But of course that doesn't happen. We walk by the scale and think, "I am going to work out tomorrow," and almost laugh at the joke of an idea as it zooms through our minds. All of those things left undone and we lose the satisfaction that comes from completing something. It feels so good to finish something; to work & have something to show for it.
It doesn't matter that we start, what counts is that we finish.

I am so thankful that God doesn't have this same problem that I have. He has begun a work in each one of us. One work that will continue on throughout the duration of our life, but then there are also "projects" He starts in us. These projects may look like life lessons or, as I like to call them, faith lessons, or they may look like new opportunities & new chapters in our lives. Whatever the project is, God will not give up or walk away, He is always faithful to complete it.

Being confident of this, that he who begun a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:6

This can be comforting to us to know that we may beat ourselves up or get frustrated with all the things we haven't finished, but God will not leave us unfinished. He has a plan for each of our lives. And He plans ahead; He already knows the end from the beginning, & He is faithful to get us there if we will stick with Him.

If you feel like things in your life are a little out of control... or out of your control at least, know that God is still in control & He is still carrying out the work in your life. He has never stopped or given up on you & He never will. Guaranteed.

And if there are things that you have left undone, let me encourage you to finish them. No matter how small a goal or task it is, the satisfaction of just completing something is so rewarding. Whatever it is, just do it. There is no better time than now.

Here's another great quote/picture that I came across & wanted to share with you:

It is not my ability, but my response to God's ability that counts.
-Corrie Ten Boom

Use today for greatness.



2 comments:

  1. Ah, this is good. I can totally relate to having a lot of unfinished projects and I am so very glad that God doesn't leave us in a corner of unfinished projects but instead loves us and patiently works in us. Glad I found you through Danette's blog!

    elle-alice.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete