<\/p>\n
Great events, we often find,
On little things depend,
And very small beginnings
Have oft a mighty end.
(Anonymous)<\/p>\n
BEGINNINGS ARE OFTEN GOOD, BUT ENDINGS ARE SOMETIMES BETTER. Especially when \u201csmall beginnings\u201d turn out to have a \u201cmighty end,\u201d we should be grateful. Finality shouldn\u2019t be something we shy away from. It\u2019s a better idea than many people think.<\/p>\n
We need to be people who appreciate the value and importance of finality. Yes, there is an excitement about new undertakings, and no, we don\u2019t want to rest on our past achievements. But let\u2019s not be afraid of the old saying that \u201call good things must come to an end.\u201d Most good things are begun for the very purpose of reaching some end. If the end is honorable, should we be sad about reaching it?<\/p>\n
There is a sense in which finality is a virtue, and both our character and our conduct need to possess that virtue. When our friends think of us, for example, they need to be able to think of finished things, not things begun and hastily abandoned. They need to know that we\u2019re well acquainted with the concept of closure.<\/p>\n
Similarly, our agreements and commitments need to have a certain finality about them. No matter how great our potential may be, indecisiveness can diminish, if not destroy, the service that we have the opportunity to render. Our friends need to know what they can expect from us. They need to know that we can be counted on.<\/p>\n
Each of our lives is moving toward an ultimate finality \u2014 death. Any evaluation or verdict that might be passed upon our work right now would only be an interim report; it\u2019s only when \u201cfinality\u201d has been reached that the true tale can be told about any of us. So it\u2019s wonderful if we started out with great advantages, and it\u2019s delightful if we\u2019re enjoying great blessings in the present. But what matters most is whether we follow through<\/em> and complete the work<\/em> that is ours to do in the time that\u2019s allotted to us. If the final chapter of our personal history is disappointing, the rest of it will be seriously lacking in value.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery advantage in the past is judged in the light of the final issue\u201d (Demosthenes).<\/p>\n Gary Henry \u2013 WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com<\/p>\n