Jesus Over Everything : End of Year Reflection
I love the end of the year. I am naturally a great starter and a not-so-great finisher. My wife loves to tease me about leaving cabinets open and the cap off the tube of toothpaste. I can't help it! I move fast and my mind is already several steps ahead. It makes my bathroom and kitchen cluttered but also makes me a great chess player and strategist. Every coin has two sides.
I love Ecclesiastes 7:8:
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning.”
Another translation says:
“Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.”
Let that truth resonate with you for a moment.
We all start well, don't we? New Years comes and everyone excitedly makes resolutions, goals and plans. But stats say the average person gives up on their resolution by January 17th.
How did you do this year? How many of the goals, plans, dreams, and actions did you follow through on?
That's why I love the end of the year. It gives us the perfect time to reflect on what remains unfinished. I take time to reflect, and take stock of all those open loops and incomplete tasks and intentions. Have you seen that viral video of the foot race where the runner takes a bad stumble towards the beginning of the race and then summons that inner drive deep down to impossibly come from far behind to win the race? That can be ALL of us.
Why don't we finish? A few reasons:
1.) I think we try to tackle black belt tasks when we are a white belt level or blue belt at best. We overestimate our abilities and willpower.
2.) I think most of us are pretty undisciplined, sorry to say.
3.) I don't think we really know ourselves. There will always be challenges that get in the way of finishing. Busyness, temptation, other shiny objects. We have to know what really matters to us. What we are really willing to sacrifice for.
4.) We chase our will more than we chase God's will. I think this is the crux of it. We are finite and fallible creatures. If we are chasing our own will then it's all on us. But if we are pursuing the will of God, then we have all the resources of Heaven at our disposal!! Imagine what our year would have looked like if we only pursued what God wanted. Just imagine.
That is why this year has been all about Jesus over everything. As the saying goes, Jesus must be Lord of all or He is not Lord at all.
At the end of the year, I get to look at my life afresh.
What area of my life have I not submitted to God this year?
Where did I go astray?
What endeavor have I been pursuing that God really isn't giving me the grace for?
What do I need to dig deep and finish?
What part of my life do I need to prune, i.e. get rid of?
Winter is a special time because things die. Old foliage falls to the ground to make way for new growth. Like nature, we get time to recharge the tanks; to rest and reflect with loved ones. I love this process of finishing what I need to so I finish the year well and making hard choices to let go of things that really aren't bearing fruit. All of this clears the decks and re-energizes you for what God is calling you to in 2024.
What task needs finishing so you end 2023 with the self-respect of a finisher? What conversation do you need to have? What do you need to let die? How can you actually rest up for the season ahead?
Make the most of this season, for this season has special gifts that no other season has.
As Paul said:
“Make the most of every opportunity, for the days are evil,” — Ephesians 5:16
Just remember:
“There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.”
Know what time you are in. No matter if you stumbled this year, there is still time to finish your race well!
#newyearsresolution #newyears #endofyear #timeforeverything #finishwell #runyourrace