Finishing Well!

We all have seen end of the year articles which focus on setting goals, new year's resolutions, developing a "game plan" and establishing or re-ordering our priorites. Now, all of this is helpful, insightful and often necessary. We often need a "push" to get off the dime; it can be a major task, depending on what kind of year you have just ended.

What about "finishing well"? It's at the opposite end of what many have strived for on New Year's Day as they recite their resolutions. For those of us in business, we have all read the Five Minute Managers, the Five Minute Salesmen, we've seen 30 second commercials, and at home we've seen the mini-series (which drags out into 14 episodes); we've purchased the abridged editions of epic novels, popularized by Reader's Digest, we studied Clift Notes in school to complete an assignment that should have been done weeks ago!

Too often we'd rather quit early than stick it out, or we'd rather take a short cut if it just doesn't fit into our schedules. Dieting and exercize sound like the right thing, but two days later we find they were overrated! Finishing anything can be work, so we bail out and blame others or find a convenient excuse to hang our lack of motivation upon. We want results and we want them now, but we are unwilling to pay the price for it.

Things of value don't come about without putting in time (the PITs)~~ spending time in the pit reaps results, and there really is no other way to accomplish it, other than putting in the time. Sometimes it is the pits, we feel unappreciated, misunderstood, taken advantage of, discouraged, disillusioned, depressed even! But don't quit--it won't always be the best, there will be the lows--but don't quit, don't become the "spectator"--be a participant!

It's like the story about the famous composer, pianist, Ignace Jan Paderewski. It is said that he was about to give a recital, a performance for which the theater was rapidly filling with his devoted audience. A young mother had brought her young son, whom she was hoping would be influenced by the great Paderewski. It had been difficult to get her son to practice, but he had enjoyed playing chopsticks. The lights began to go dim, and the mother looked around to find her young son, not on the seat next to her, but sitting on the piano bench on stage. The crowd had begun to murmur and peer about for the young lad's guardian. Just then the young boy began to play chopsticks, much to his mother's dismay. However, before anyone realized what was happening, the Master, Paderewski had sat down on the bench beside him and was saying in his ear, "don't quit, don't quit, keep going!" while he played a countermeasure complimenting the lad's chopsticks. When they were done, the crowd stood to their feet shouting "bravo, bravo!" The distraught mother was overwhelmed and the young boy received a standing ovation, along with the Master!

Do you sometimes feel you have practiced and practiced this piece of music called "life" and it only sounds like chopsticks? There is One, the Master, who will come alongside us and He is saying "Don't quit, don't quit! You are doing great! Keep on!" He plays the "countermeasure" that makes our chopsticks sound like a concerto! We give up too quickly! We don't want to practice those difficult pieces, we just want to play chopsticks... Jesus knew it would be difficult at times and so he sent us Someone to "come alongside". He said He would have to go in order to send us the One who would lead us into all truth, guide us, remind us of His words, and pray for us when we can only groan in agony of heart. He knows what we need before we even speak it... Listen! He is saying to you and to me, "Don't give up! Keep going! You're doing great! I am right here beside you, don't give up!" So as the New Year begins, perhaps you have wanted to quit... remember His words and listen for that beautiful melody being played in countermeasure by the One who loves you most! (Adapted from Chuck Swindoll)