Finishing Strong

When I first met my husband there was a phrase he used quite often: finish strong. What he meant was that no matter what we were involved in, when it got close to the end that's when we needed to kick it up a notch. For how one follows through in the end and finishes what they start is one of the biggest judges of character.

I used to be the type of person that was anything but a strong finisher. In fact, I could almost guarantee that I would only do something 3/4 of the way. Granted, this wasn't in every circumstance as I don't consider myself a quitter, but it was in enough that I finally had to step back and think about why it was that I never followed through on lifestyle changes or prayer commitments or even finished the end of a book.

To make a long story short, I think the answer lies in the fact that we have been ingrained with the phrase: "God will understand." God will understand if I don't say my morning prayers just this one day (which ultimately turns into the next 10 days) because I am a busy mom. God will understand if I am not nice to my husband this one time because, well, we can't we perfect all the time. God will understand if I turn in this project as is, because it is good enough. And God will understand if I do XYZ because of XYZ. You get the picture. And you probably know exactly what I'm talking about...

My struggle of finishing strong has recently been shaken up and God is finally giving me the tools to follow through, no matter how hard the end gets. And you want to know the catalyst? (If not, I'm going to tell you anyway...) Running.

That's right, running up and down hills and in the rain and all over the city day in and day out flipped a switch in my brain. Perhaps previously I thought I couldn't finish strong. Perhaps I thought that it would take way too much effort and not be worth it in the end. But in training for half marathons there is no other option but to finish strong. When I am 6 miles from home and feel like not running another step, I have to dig deeper (and take a Shot Blok) and push it home. When I have a race coming up, I have no other option but to prep well and get all my runs in, no matter how much I would rather relax on the couch. And, despite the effort that comes with training, when I cross that finish line on race day it is all sooo worth it.

When I am running, God is constantly whispering in my ear (getting through the noise of my IPod) and telling me that each step I take is exactly like the life of faith. In fact even Hebrews 12:1-2 says:

"...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

In faith, sometimes all we can do is put one foot in front of the other. In faith, sometimes we have to do what we don't want to. And in faith, when we finish strong, we obtain a peace and holiness unmatched by any other feeling.

I'm sure we can all see areas in our lives where we are pushed, maybe against our will, to finish strong: having a baby, building a home, taking care of someone with an illness, and so on. Perhaps we can take the lessons we learned in these circumstances and apply them to our faith lives, as well - especially as we approach Holy Week.

In this coming week, we have the opportunity to finish strong during some of the most important days on the Liturgical Calendar. In these days we will walk with Jesus on the road to the Cross. We will suffer and die along with Him. And then, on that glorious Easter morning, we will rise. We will experience the joy of completing a hard, yet hopefully well run race these past 40 days. Let us dig deeper and experience Holy Week like we never have before: praying more, attending services, fasting, and being more fervent in following Jesus. Let us not become complacent or give up with the end just around the corner. Because, instead of falling back on God will understand,  I would rather say:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7-8