Have you ever been tempted to quit, give up, coast, let up on the gas, or straight up check out mentally? I know there have been many of times in my own life when I have been tempted to throw in the towel on a commitment I have made or season I am in. The one thing I find true every time in these scenarios is that it is easy to quit, but hard to finish strong.

There is just something special about “finishes”. I’m a sports guy at heart and am continually captivated by the buzzer beater shot, walk-off home run, hail mary touchdown pass, photo finish race, and the shootout that decides the outcome of the game. Ok so maybe you don’t like sports, but totally understand the power of a good finish like at a graduation ceremony, a suspenseful or happy ending of a movie, or even the completion of an engagement season with a bride and groom getting married. Point in case: strong finishes are powerful.

Why then, is it so hard sometimes to finish strong? Could it be because to finish something you actually have to apply yourself? Push through and overcome adversity? Sacrifice and practice patience? It’s probably all that and more. Whether you are in school and have caught some serious “senioritis”, in an internship or training program that you want out of, on a sports team that is a challenge, or even a job that is coming to an end, I believe that “finishing strong” is the best choice you can make to prepare you for your future and honor the Lord.

Yes, it is going to be hard at times, but so worth it. If you need some encouragement and motivation to help push you forward, then here are three reasons why you should finish your current season strong:

3 Reasons You Should Finish Strong

1. You’re in a race

Whether you are aware of it or not, you are in a “race”. The Bible says in Hebrews 12:1 “let us run with endurance the race that is before us”. Life consists of one consecutive season after another. Whatever season you are in right now is actually a race, with a specific start and finish line.  If you’re in a race, then you might as well run, right? And not just run, but finish the race. God Himself is a strong finisher. Can you imagine the negative effects of Jesus “almost” going to the cross? Praise God Jesus ran His race all the way to the finish on the cross, and even said: “It is finished” (John 19:30). God is pleased when you respond to His challenge and run your race and finish.

2. Confidence and momentum

I’ve always been taught: “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish”. Even if your current season has been tough or unenjoyable, it doesn’t have to end that way. Tapping into God’s grace and allowing Him to change your perspective and attitude can help you finish strong and on a high note. Jesus is the “author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Don’t quit when God may still be writing, and saving the best for last in your current season. When you finish strong, it creates a confidence and momentum in your life. It’s important to remember that how you finish your current season is how you will start your next season. So many people check out in their current season because they have their eye on the next season. This is so dangerous because a bad finish often just transfers over to a bad start in the next season and is a momentum killer. The stronger the finish, the greater the confidence and momentum for the next season.

3. Others are counting on you

One of the most important reasons you need to finish your current season strong is because it can impact so many other people’s lives for the good. Whether you like it or not, people are watching you. Hebrews 12:1 says: “we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses”. As you run your race in this season, there are people in the stands watching you, cheering for you, and counting on you to finish strong. It is a heavy but very real thought to ponder. People both in your now and in your future that need you to finish so that you will be prepared to impact their lives. There are students of all ages, family members, coworkers and bosses, future spouses and kids, churches, and cities and nations that are counting on you to finish strong right now and not quit.

Some Practicals

• If you are in school, no matter how well you are doing, now is not the time to slack off. Instead, pay attention, do your homework and study for tests, and do your very best until the end.
• If you are in a training program, keep learning and growing.
• If you are working at a job that’s not enjoyable, push through and remain faithful until you find a new one.
• If you are in an athletic training season or on a sports team, dig down deep and give it your all.
• If your attitude has been crummy in your current season, repent and determine to finish with joy.

The world is full of so many people who start things, but then for whatever reason, get distracted, discouraged, or quit. Starting is important, but finishing is powerful and the true game changer. May we all step up and finish strong in our current season, and be able to say the same words Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith”.

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. Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV

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