Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Hebrews 12:1-3 NKJV

These past two weeks, I’ve been really busy. Working with new protocols because of the virus, writing a story that had to be between 4,000 to 7,000 words, studying for Bible studies, getting a new car, and planning on what to do for the holidays: all of this was on my to-do list. It was a bit overwhelming, especially the story I had to write.

I love writing. For me, it’s like having a growing and living movie in your mind. The words coming together like a puzzle that builds into this beautiful moving scene. Now, am I a professional writer? No, no I am not. It’s something I love to do and I strive to get better at. That’s why I do submissions. It helps me be proactive about writing with goals and deadlines. They help me finish.

But with so much to do, it was overwhelming to finish anything. Even something I enjoy. I had the idea of the story, I started it, worked on it little by little, but when it came to ending it by the deadline, to finish it, it was so cumbersome. Especially with everything else on my plate, finishing the story was pushed onto the back burner. But then I kept doing that with other things too. This is more important so I’ll work on it now. Oh, this new thing is important, let me work on it now. I NEED to get this done, let me do it now. Needless to say, nothing was getting done but my work (barely).

One day during prayer, God brought up how He is the author and finisher of my faith. God knows the struggle of going to the finish. But He loves me enough to finish, to keep going. And if I say I’m a Christian, which means to be like God, then how can I not finish things.

So, I sat down and finished that story. I barely answered my phone and did not eat till I was finished. Praying each time it got hard to write that next word or sentence. And when the sun set, the story was done. It was 4,434 words that created something even more beautiful than I imagined. It wasn’t a masterpiece, but it was great and it was done. God and I got through it and finished together. That’s all that mattered.

After that, each small step in my big to-do list was getting done. I got a car, the protocols at work were running a bit smoother, God showed me what to study, and I even started getting Christmas presents. Everything was coming together because while I was doing things, I didn’t decide what needed to be done NOW. I prayed. God was with me through it all. And He, the author and finisher of my faith, showed me how to finish. How to keep going. How to enjoy finishing.

So this holiday season, don’t stress about finishing or completing things. Rushing to get this done or that done. Run to God. Let Him show how to finish. Let Him make finishing triumphant instead of a relief. Let Him be your author and finisher.