it's not how you start... it's how you finish

I hate being wrong. I also hate making mistakes. Unfortunately, both of those things just happen sometimes. Nothing is worse than looking back and seeing how you possibly could have avoided a regretful situation by making another decision, especially when you had an option and chose the wrong one. Sometimes, we just have to do the best with the information we've got and after the choice is made, we learn whether or not we were right. Other times, we have all of the information we need up front, we just lack the courage, wisdom, or self-discipline to make the right choice.


We learn from our mistakes, and we learn from our victories, too. I've come to understand that success and failure can be two of the best teachers in life. And, if there's an upside from making a bad choice, it's that you gain a little wisdom going forward. That way, you know better next time. There are days when I find myself thinking back to previous decisions I've made, and I have a hard time not beating myself up over the outcome. I'll share with Aaron about how I wish I had made this decision or that decision. I'll tell him about how frustrated I am with the choice I made and how it didn't turn out as I might have hope. He usually responds by saying, "It's not how you start, it's how you finish." I think he has a point, don't you?


Jesus hung on the cross between two sinners. Sinners who had made poor choices, mistakes, and they were paying the consequences for their sins. People knew why they were there. They were criminals. But while we might find ourselves quick to judge them, we should realize that their punishment occurred for breaking the law. And the law, according to Jesus, says things like, "Do not commit murder... but I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment. Do not commit adultery...but I say, anyone man looks on a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Love your neighbors and hate your enemies... but I say, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5) So I suppose, when you look at it that way, it could easily be you or me on that cross next to Jesus. Dying a death for a wrong that we may or may not have intentionally made.
 

Well, public humiliation is no way to go out. I don't think it's the ideal way to spend your final hours, and I just wonder if those criminals thought, "I can't believe this is how my life is ending. Will crime and death be the only things people remember about me?" Because although we want to get off to a good start in life, the truth is that people remember the end. It's never about how good you did back then, it's about what you're doing right now. Because your right now is preparing you for tomorrow, and people seem to care more about how you end up rather than where you began.


For one man, one criminal, one of the sinners that could have easily been you or me had we existed a few thousand years ago, the end was about to vastly exceed the beginning. He was nailed to that cross as a hopeless man. A condemned man with no way out. A man whose life was slipping away in a method I'm sure he never imagined. And yet, in his darkest, and probably scariest hour, as I'm sure he thought back over his life and clearly saw and regretted many of the decisions he had made, he looked over and he saw Jesus. He had probably heard about Jesus. It might not have been the first time their paths had crossed, but it was the first time he actually saw Jesus. Saw Him for who He was. The Savior, the Messiah. And he knew. He knew exactly who Jesus was. The Eternal One, the giver of life. He said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." To which Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise." A sinner on a cross, saved in his final hour by a Savior on a cross. It wasn't about how he started his life, it was about how he finished it. With Jesus.
 

You've probably made your fair share of mistakes, too. You may have buckets full of regrets. You may be wrestling with your past and wondering if your future will look any better. It's not about that, about then. Your past is a done deal, and there's not a thing you can do to change it. But your ending has yet to come. Your story isn't over. And when we look to Jesus, when we call on His name, He is sure to save. Save us from where we've been, where we're stuck, and move us towards eternal life. Abundant life. Purposeful life.


It's not about how your start, it's how you finish. Finish well.


"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:7-8