They Get It

They Get It Have you ever wondered about your life, the life of your spouse and children, and the life of your career? Have you wanted to know how it all will look when you reach the end zone of your life? I suspect that, like beauty, “finishing well” is defined in the eyes of the beholder; and what you see at the end might be different from what others see regarding your success. More importantly and without question, you are desirous and determined that your immediate family be well served in the process. At the end, what sweeter sounds can there be than for our family as well as the Lord to say, “well done”. Our two sons were home for Christmas. As we spent some quality time together in the kitchen, I spoke of my personal experience of success, or the lack thereof, in my chosen field. I said that I never really succeeded in my calling the way that I had thought or believed. Before I could finish my line of thinking, both my sons passionately jumped in and began to say how mistaken I was in thinking in such a manner. I had not anticipated such an opinion. I understood that their point of view to me was priceless, and that I could not continue thinking that way. I have always desired to be one ‘who finished well’. There is no better way to ‘finish’ than to know that God will say to me, “Well done”, and that my family will be of the same mindset. I am pleased that my sons understand success, and ‘they get it’. Perhaps they really ‘get it’ even more than me. As they corrected me about my accomplishments, they referred to the many people that their mom and I have touched. Right away, I could clearly see that from their vantage point, there was no measure or standard that would change their opinion of us and what we had accomplished. Such a life of reaching out to people in the name of Christ is the only life they have ever known. For me to speak something even remotely to the contrary was not only contradictory, but down right anathema and blasphemous. In the future, I shall be mindful of what I say around them, lest I should be gagged for saying things I ought not, or things not really true. For the rest of my life I shall endeavor to ‘finish well’ and be all that God intends for me to be. May I not measure my calling by the success standards set by those before me, nor those set by my contemporaries. 01032015 cj PS