By Boyd Tremblett – Chemainus Pentecostal Church
Philippians 2:25:
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.
I’m sure we can all agree that our summer did not start so well. As the days went on, we all wondered if we would ever see the sun. It didn’t start well but it sure ended well. And that’s what I hear from people, the great ending.
I see the same with sports. It’s not how the game starts that’s the most exciting, but the ending. It’s the last few ticks of the clocks that bring the spectators to their feet. It’s the moments before the last buzzer that you hear the loudest cheers. It’s the last overtime goal that is the talk around the water cooler.
Life is the same way. Some of you reading this can look back on your life and see hard times, a difficult start. You see broken promises, failures, disappointments and bad memories. But it’s not how you start, but run the race and finish.
History is full of those who had tough starts but ended good. Even Jesus had a tough start; born in a stable, a King wanting to kill him and living in hiding in his early years.
Now you’re thinking “but Jesus ended up on a cross.” Well, before you make your final assessment, remember that the cross was the reason he came. It was the greatest victory ever won for humanity.
It’s not how you start, but how you finish. So, as Paul the Apostle says: “forgetting that which is behind, reach forwards to things which are ahead.” Don’t give up.
