I was talking with a friend and mentor of mine the other day after a funeral that we were both involved in. I asked Jim what he wanted people to say at his funeral. He is 88 years old. He paused and thought for a moment and then said “I want them to say that I was a decent man, that’s it.” Then he thought some more and said, “Chad, I want to finish well, not many people in the Bible finished well so I want to be one of the few that does.”
That made me really think about my own life and the legacy that I want to leave behind. It also made me think about what it means to finish well. I think for my friend Jim, he wants to finish with his focus on God and family. He doesn’t want to let his family down by making bad decisions or saying things to hurt people. He wants to remain humble, helpful and serve the people around him as best he can. I think he wants to pass on what God has given him to his family and friends.
I am 40 years old and want to finish well. None of us know how long we have to finish well. I may get another 48 years and get to the age Jim is at. I may only get a few more years. What I need to remember is that every day matters and every decision matters.
Finishing well doesn’t mean you have to live a perfect life, just a surrendered life. Finishing well is all about having the right perspective about your life, your purpose for being here and your relationship with God. Finishing well for me means building strong healthy relationships, growing in character, learning from mistakes and pouring what you have into the people around you.
My prayer for you today is to finish well, no matter what you did in the past you can make the choice to finish well from this point on.