Completion

I am one to start something with the anticipation of finishing it right at that given moment. I find it easier to do things all at once, while my mind is focused on it, instead of doing it for only a little bit then taking a break and moving onto something else. This type of mindset goes for anything from a task at work, studying, cleaning my room, or even writing a blog post. It even goes for long term goals. I strive to start on my goal right away, whether it is fitness, school or relationship related, and I hope to see results quickly.

This all has to do with completion, wanting to complete something as soon as it is handed to me. I admit, I really like the feeling of completing things. It feels good to finish one thing so I can move onto another. Often times, this is how I live from day to day, completing one thing and then moving onto the next.

But if we go from thing to thing wanting to just find completion, we may miss what God is really wanting us to learn from the journey or even His signs telling us to move away from the task for a little bit, His calling to take a break. Maybe He wants us to move away, to take a step back, and maybe even to risk completion in order to gain something better, to gain a different direction. He may be calling us to step out of our own ways or the ways of the world to try something new, to follow a new path we wouldn’t have thought of on our own.

I am sure each and every one of us at times need to learn how to slow down and listen to God in the process of doing things, whether it is the big goals or the small, daily tasks. And even when we do have to stop in the middle of the process, when He is taking us in a different direction, we can trust that whatever He has started within us He will bring to completion:

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6 

Don’t press fast forward.

Photo cred: Zach Sumners

After passing many milestones in my life, the two most recent ones captured in the picture above – my 20^th birthday and more importantly, Rachel's graduation from high school, all in one crazy, blessed day – I have more than ever realized this important lesson: Don’t press the fast forward button on life.

Time goes by fast, we all know it. But this still doesn’t stop us from thinking and planning ahead, and wishing we were just a little bit older or even at the next stage of our lives.

The current stage we are in….whether that is studying in school, just out of school with our first “real” job, traveling the world, getting married, having our first child, working to advance our career, married and consumed with the lives of our children, empty nesters, retirement, or any other life stage that is a combination of these, in transition, or one I have not mentioned…always seems to be the “hardest stage.” We look to what is to come and think once we pass this current stage we are in, things will get just a little bit easier. But the truth is, the next stage doesn’t get easier, because every stage in our life comes with new challenges and hardships. Maybe we all know this truth, but this still doesn’t stop us from wanting to click the fast forward to the next stage of our lives.

Maybe we have also done the opposite, and wished we could go backwards in time and just be a child again. I know this has been my wish on many occasions. For others, it may be thinking back to our college years, or our first job, or when we were just younger and felt more adventurous and free.

With these two extremes, we can see that all of us quite often wish we were somewhere different in life due to knowing how it used to be, current circumstances being as they are, and predicting what the future holds.

Ecclesiastes 3 expresses that there is a time for everything….There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. It is God who appoints a time for everything, and His timing is perfect. He arranges even the smallest details of our earthly surroundings, and because He cares about each and every one of us, He has destined and determined the activities and stages of our lives.

With this in mind, let us enjoy where we are at in our current life stage, even if it is hard. Let’s hold on tight and do the best we can, because it won’t be like this for long. Soon you will be moving onto the next adventure of life God has already planned for you. Most importantly, time goes by fast, and you don’t want to miss what God has in store for you at the present moment. Don’t press the fast forward button on life.