Finish What You Start
In my journey to become a finisher, I’ve realized that finishing often doesn’t take that long. Usually, it takes only a few minutes to complete most tasks. The point is to do things right away and not procrastinate. And the most important thing? Follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit along the way.
June 2014
It’s the pile of freshly laundered clothes three feet away from an empty dresser drawer, the dirty dishes next to the sink, the candy wrapper sitting on the counter above the waste basket, the stack of junk mail that grows every day.
Can you guess what it is?
Unfinished business. Simple tasks started out of necessity or good intention left undone due to some excuse. I don’t have time. I’ll do it later. It’s not that big of deal. Other things are more important. I don’t want to do it. Maybe my spouse will do it. I’ll tell the kids to do it.
Recently, I was playing with my son Brayden outside by our driveway. In an effort to multitask, I decided to pull the garbage can back from the end of the driveway and put it next to our closed garage door. For whatever reason, I stood there debating whether or not I should open the garage door and wheel the garbage can inside—where it belongs.
"I can do it later."
"I just wanted to do part of the job."
"My husband Erik can finish it next time he’s out here."
Little voices inside my head were debating the pros and cons of actually walking over to the keypad, punching in the code, putting the garbage can inside the garage, and shutting the door.
Then I clearly heard these words: Finish what you started.
The authority in that statement reminded me how silly my excuses were, and it pushed me to finish the task I had started. It also challenged me to bring this idea of “finishing” into my life on a more regular basis.
Why? Because it’s the responsible, stress-relieving, God-honoring thing to do.
THE POWER OF 60 SECONDS
In this journey to become a finisher, I’ve realized that finishing often doesn’t take that long. It’s an extra three seconds to open the cupboard or put the trash in the garbage can. The pile of dishes can be washed, dried, and put away in less than a half hour. That thank you note or email you’ve been meaning to send can easily be done while enjoying your morning coffee. And if you can somehow squeeze five minutes out of your 24-hour day tomorrow, you can call your bank and finally get that account issue cleared up.
The point is to do things right away and not procrastinate.
If I can get tasks done when I’m thinking about them, why not save myself the pressure of having another thing on my “to do” list? I admit: My selfish nature often has an answer for that question. So I’ve put together two keys to help me keep up with the tasks life throws my way.
The first one is to learn what you can actually accomplish in 60 seconds. If you are warming something up in the microwave, instead of standing there for those few minutes, see how many dishes you can put into the cupboards before the beep signals your food is ready. How about your laundry—can you fold a full load of clean clothes during one commercial break or do you have to do it during two?
A lot can happen in 60 seconds when you put your mind to it and decide to use your time wisely!
FOLLOW THE PROMPTS
The second thing I’ve learned on my way to being a finisher is to follow the promptings inside of me. I’m talking about those prompts I believe the Holy Spirit brings my way to do this or do that. Now would be a good time to make that phone call… pay that bill… run that errand….
Time and again, the Holy Spirit has proven to be my biggest helper in de-stressing my life in this way. He reminds me of tasks that need to be accomplished or ways I can finish what I start as I go about my day.
I don’t always recognize that these thoughts are of the Spirit. They are easy to dismiss among the myriad of other thoughts running through my head. When I do find a thought I know is from the Lord (usually based on hindsight or context of the situation), I remember that voice, feeling, and prompting, and try to match it appropriately to future thoughts.
More than once I’ve said to myself, “Well, if that thought was from the Lord and this is a similar voice, I need to listen to it and respond.”
I CHALLENGE ME—AND YOU
I guarantee that I am nowhere near close to being great at finishing, but I am trying to get better. Daily tasks are so easy to push aside, but the Holy Spirit’s ideas and the 60-second rule help me save time and simplify.
I challenge you to consider incorporating these concepts into your life. God will show you how to make these ideas work for you so you too can finish what you start.
THANK YOU
We have received A LOT of positive feedback from cfaith members and website guests about our decision to remove the content log in requirement from our website. (In case you hadn't heard, you no longer need to log in to our website to listen to audio messages or watch cfaith videos. All of our content is now open and available to everyone!)
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In His service and love,
Laura Wegener
writer
cfaith
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