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Finish
What You Started
by
Major Danielle Strickland
I'm not sure
what your New Year’s resolution was – but the statistics are
not very encouraging. Apparently only 20% of new year’s
resolutions make it past this mark in the year. We really just
don’t know how to finish what we start.
Years ago, I
started running simply to work off the calories needed for me
to eat what I wanted. But eventually, I began to be inspired
by the running itself. I ran a marathon in
San Diego called ‘The Rock ‘N Roll
Marathon’. It was an incredibly fun event. Every five miles
through the course is a massive Rock concert. The rock star is
always telling the crowd to cheer for the runners and as you
weave through the crowd you really do begin to feel like a
rock star yourself. You don’t even notice the distance for the
first half of the marathon. As soon as the music fades from
your ears behind you, the next rock band is faintly heard
ahead of you – beckoning you forward. It was such fun.
The trouble is,
no matter how great the course is everyone still hits ‘the
wall’ at the last 10 km of the 42km race. This is the part of
the race that is hardest to finish. Your entire body is trying
to convince you that running this last leg of the race is not
worth it. People call it ‘the wall’ because it feels like
you’ve literally hit a wall. Not a happy feeling for sure. The
organisors of this race had done something quite profound to
deal with the last ten km of painful running. They had lined
the course with the Marine Corps. In their fatigues and armed
with spounges and buckets they ‘cheered us on’. Well, more
accurately, they yelled us on. Dipping their sponges in the
cool water they would throw them at us and yell Marine slogans
really loud. ‘No pain – no gain’ one would say. ‘Finish what
you started’ said another. ‘Suck it up, buttercup’ one said
with a huge smile as I labored forward. There was no way to
stop. I mean would you stop with 10 km of marine corps
soldiers yelling you forward?? It was incredible and I
finished the race with a sore body but a soaring spirit. I
wasn’t just a starter – I was a finisher.
Paul likens our
faith to a race. And he mentions finishing. Actually, in
Hebrews 12 we see a picture very much like the San Diego marathon – “Therefore, since we are
surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (the Marine
Corps of believers? Abraham, Moses, Catherine, William….) let
us press on to take hold of the prize. Let us not become weary
– but fix our eyes on Jesus who for the joy before him,
endured the Cross, scorning it’s shame and SAT DOWN at the
right hand of the father.” Sitting down at the end of the race
is the fun bit. I usually try to find a hot-tub to sit in. And
it’s ok to revel in a job well done. In a race finished. I
think in many ways this is what God had in mind when he
instructed the Israelites to remember the things in their
lives that they had done and to celebrate them. I was reading
recently that to cross the red sea, if all the Israelites
marched 10 abreast in a line would have taken 27 days to
cross. It’s no wonder that God told them to take the time to
set up an altar and to celebrate that they had made it. They
walked a marathon together out of
Egypt
and then began another kind of race as they prepared for the
promise land. It’s important in our current faith to really
learn not just how to start but how to finish. Celebration is
part of it. Encourgement is another. Affirmation is key. Shame
only motivates for a small time. Yelling at yourself inside of
your head to ‘suck it up’ only works for a short time. But
affirmation, celebration and encouragement has power to move
us forward – for the long haul. We can actually do this thing
- together. You should try it. Why not join the race as a
participant and a contributor?
As you fix your
eyes on Jesus, follow His lead and be part of pointing others
to His amazing example. Be an encourager to those who are
trying to run, celebrate what God has already done in you and
the pace at which you are moving and affirm the people around
you who are giving it their best. I think Hebrews 12 is a
beautiful picture of the community of God’s people in action –
not just starting things – but finishing them with style! Suck
it up buttercup and finish what you started.
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