I’ve had this one upside down for years!
Ecclesiastes 7:8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
I don’t consider myself an overly proud man, at least not to a fault but I’m certainly not patient and I’ve had the first part of this verse jacked up for years. In college we used to derisively refer to some guys as “idea men” meaning they were big on talk and tiny on action. I think the saying in ranch country is “Big hat, no cattle.” Anyway, I’ve probably been there way too much and I’m much, much too impatient.
I tend to get antsy if I don’t see results very quickly. Now, I’m not the guy that stands in front of the microwave and mutters, “C’mon, c’mon!” but let’s just say I have a difficulty getting water to boil. Yeah, that’s me.
So as I’ve finally begun to grow up a bit and maybe get a little wiser (a little, not a lot) I can completely see the error of my ways. I’ve begun to learn that everything takes time and that nothing happens without follow through and a lot of shepherding. Over the years I don’t think I’ve lacked so much in perseverance as I have in diligence.
My tendency is to want to put something in motion and then expect it to just go off without a hitch or any adjustment by me. Oh, and it ought to work just like I envisioned it in my mind. It’s no small wonder then that my attempts at DIY and fix-it projects are the things of expletive-filled legend around our house. My family has learned to just laugh at me, which is probably a good thing because it’s laughable, really.
To think that just kicking something off and getting the wheels in motion is enough to ensure success is really pretty ridiculous. And to think that things won’t go wrong or need tweaking and take time literally has me laughing at myself. No, the end of something, in addition to the satisfaction of accomplishment, is so much better than the beginning. So why do we fear the end?
Maybe the end means we have to get uncomfortable again and move on to something else (although there’s many a clogged drain I would have liked to move past). Perhaps we don’t particularly like to begin things because we truly don’t know how they’re going to end. Whatever our fear, getting to the end is a good thing. Whether it’s getting to the end of a project or the end of a season of our lives we should embrace it as the opportunity to grow that it is.
So, keep that end in sight. It’s worth it.
The Everyday Question: What do you need to wrap up and bring to a conclusion in your life today?
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