Finish What You've Started

" Finishing is better than starting.
Patience is better than pride." Ecclesiastes 7:8

I am notorious for not finishing something. I have sewing projects and cross-stitch projects that are about 80% done, but I have little desire to finish them. I went to college, and completed my education minus one class- so I never did get the degree that says I'm educated. I'll plant a garden and once it's planted I'll pick weeds a few times, but it isn't long before I let them have their way while I'm waiting for the garden to produce.

I've been getting better. I do want to set a better example for my kids. So often they'll start something and it will be too hard for them, so I encourage them as best as I can to finish whatever they've begun. And sometimes, that's where the patience comes in. Actually, patience comes in a lot with my kids. There are times where they really want to help me out with something. Making pizza would be a great example there. I could put the pizza together myself, and it would be tasty and look like it came from a pizzeria. But my kids almost always want to help with pizza, and that is a trial of patience for Mommy. I bite my tongue when all the cheese ends up on one side, or the sausage isn't evenly distributed. And I thank my kids and praise them for their work. The end result is that we all get pizza, and I swear it does taste better because they made it themselves. That is a fantastic reward for patience. If I were to be prideful and insist on doing it myself, they wouldn't have that sense of accomplishment that speaks volumes to their little minds.

God can be a wonderful source of encouragement when we don't want to finish something. There will be times where I am cleaning the church for the week and I will decide I've had enough for that week, and I'll let a few things slide for the next. Then I realize that I'm placing a priority on something other than God, and I'll ask him to help me finish my cleaning. Most often, then I tackle a project that's needed to be done for a while, and I have a song in my heart while doing it. I finish up my cleaning grateful for the opportunity to serve, instead of being grateful that it's over. I think learning to appreciate the finish line can be a gift from God. And I thank him today that he guided me to Ecclesiastes for this verse, because it fills me with the desire to go and finish something important today.

Happy weekend everyone!