Finishing Well

Solomon wrote, "The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and patience is better than pride" (Eccl 7:8).  Americans, however, tend to focus the other way around.  We are more caught up in a "Grand Opening!" than a strong finish.  In fact, we are more likely to restart several times than to struggle through, following a plan to the end.

Couples will spend months planning and thousands of dollars on a wedding but never read a book on marriage or attend a weekend seminar to improve their relationship.  God forbid you suggest we should seek counsel on how to keep a marriage together.  It is so much easier get a divorce and start over.  Prince Charles and Princess Dianna spent millions on their wedding but allowed their marriage to crumble into dust.

Millions of young people jump into college but many simply do not follow it through.  Only 56% of American college students starting a four year degree finish it within six years.  Just 29% of students entering a two-year program finish it in three years.  And only 27% of college graduates have a job related to their major.  Strong starts, weak finishing.

With new businesses, about 80% make it past the first year, 50% past year five and 30% are still in business after year ten.  Again, lots of time, money and energy on the launching of a business but not nearly as much though about long-term sustainability.  We are, as previously mentioned, big on Grand Openings but not so much on keeping it open for the long haul.

What's the problem?  Why so many finishing poorly?  The problem, as Solomon intimated is pride over patience (read Eccl 7:8 again).  Patience, Solomon assures, is better than pride.  Pride gets us going but patience keeps us moving, especially when the going gets tough.

Pride assures us we can handle college but patience is needed to handle the rigors of college and the rigor mortis of the teaching styles of some professors.  Pride gets us to borrow the capital to start a business but patience is needed to capitalize on the often meager opportunities for advancement.  Pride tells us that we are ready to set a wedding date but patience alone sees us through the rough patches on the way to our Silver Anniversary.

James gives the analogy of the farmer who "waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains" (James 5:7).  Pride comes before a fall (cf. Prov 16:18) but patience causes us to stand firm (cf. James 5:8).  Jus' Say'n.