Romans 9:19-23
Well then, you might say, “Why does God blame people for not responding? Haven’t they simply done what he makes them do?”
No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to argue with God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who created it, “Why have you made me like this?” When a potter makes jars out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
“It’s not how you start… it’s how you finish.” I have to admit, when I heard my friend Steve, the high school athletic director/head football coach, tell his elementary-school-aged son this one spring Saturday, I thought for a moment… “Well there’s a cliché if ever I heard one!” I’m sure he tells his football team this throughout the year… but just how relevant was this comment for a young boy? As I read this scripture passage today, I realized that these words are incredibly relevant… a phrase that we should drill into our children from an early age… and remember well into our adulthood.
These are not only words of patience and perseverance… but of hope. I don’t know why some people are born into poverty… but I know plenty who have worked their way out of it. I don’t know why some babies are born with birth defects and physical deformities… but I know those who have lived rich, full lives in spite of their afflictions. I don’t know why God allows “bad things to happen to good people,” but I can’t count the people I know who have “made lemons out of lemonade” – with God’s help and patient perseverance. I don’t know why some things have to be so hard… but I know that practice makes better musicians, workouts make better athletes, and studying makes better scholars. “It’s not how you start… it’s how you finish.”
We so often want to question God… and to blame Him. “God made me this way,” becomes a crutch rather than a fact. God may have made you a certain way… but that doesn’t mean He intended for you to finish the same as you began! God wants us to take what He has given us… what He allows to happen in our lives… and to faithfully and patiently call on His strength and power to do the very best we can with what we have been given. So as I read an interview with NBC television host Kathie Lee Gifford where she talked of her sister’s bout with colitis at age 23, I paid attention to the sister’s attitude. Gifford was ready to be angry with God because her sister, a new mother at the time, had to be fitted with a colostomy bag. She was heartbroken and bitter that her sister would have to wear this bag for the rest of her life. Her sister, however, said, “Because of this bag God gave me, I get to see my daughter grow up.” Now that’s patience, perseverance – and the right perspective - in action. That’s focusing on how you finish rather than how you start!
I have no idea what God has allowed in your life… or where you started. I don’t know where you are today, but I know you don’t have to stay there if you are dissatisfied or not living life to your fullest potential. I can’t say that God will make every poor person rich… or heal every sick person…because our lives are not that “black and white.” But what I can promise is that God stands ready to help you make the absolute most of your life and its circumstances… if only you will call on Him to help you. He will provide you with strength, courage, fortitude, and patience for the journey. He will help you finish strong! The adage really is true… “It’s not how you start… it’s how you finish.” Where does this leave you?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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