By: Rex Stump
Wauseon, Ohio
It was late at night, 11:40 p.m. to be exact. We experienced a full day of travel, with no opportunity to grab a meal to eat since breakfast. We stopped at a fast-food restaurant that was open till midnight.
But as we placed our order, we discovered that they were no longer serving certain items, since they were closing in 20 minutes. I understand, and yet I don’t understand.
If you close at midnight, shouldn’t you still make meals until midnight? They didn’t run out of food; it was the fact that they cleaned up certain machines and didn’t want to dirty them again. I admit that frustrated me. No big deal, I just ordered whatever was still on the grill.
Here’s my thought, if you say you’re open till midnight, finish strong…at midnight! It should be the same for any workplace.
It should be the same with an athletic practice. Just because practice finishes in 15 minutes, doesn’t mean that you go soft, or shut things down early just because you’re a little tired. Finish strong!
Just because you’ve been married for 20 years, doesn’t mean the next couple of years you should coast, and not put any effort into your marriage. Just because your kids are close to finishing school doesn’t mean you stop parenting. Finish strong!
In baseball, we were taught to sprint past first base and not slow down until after you touched first base. What if we viewed our marriages, our workplaces, and our faith as first base, always sprinting beyond them and not slowing down?
In 2 Timothy 4:7, the Apostle Paul is writing his last letter to Timothy. His ministry is coming to an end, and he says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.”
The Apostle didn’t stop before the finish line. There was no slacking, no cutting out early, no coasting across the finish line.
Throughout the scripture Paul reminded us to make every effort and to work hard. He didn’t just say it; he also provided an example. He finished his spiritual race. He remained faithful to the end.
As Christians, encourage one another to keep going, to not give up, or slow down, but instead … finish strong!