Finishing Well

September 27, 2018

A day that begins with prayer and breakfast with friends followed by a road trip to see my mother and pick up our granddaughter from college, and ending with Linda by my side has to count as a great day. Our prayer time started with the reading of Psalm 95, which begins with thanks and praise to God as we come to worship. It ends however, warning us to not harden our hearts, which warning became the focus of our prayer. With the exception of pastor Joe, all the guys around the table this morning are fifty-five and older. Three of us are pushing seventy. We often hear people our age saying things like, “Take it easy. Enjoy life; you deserve it.” It’s an invitation to rest on whatever laurels we’ve accumulated, to coast. We have other plans. We want to finish well. Just yesterday Bill Cosby walked into the jail where he will likely spend most of his remaining days. Once an icon of wholesome family life, he is now disgraced—all he once stood for gone.   One choice led to another and another, till it caught up with him. 

We’ve too often seen the tragic results of men who once were idols of society but who believed the press about themselves and fell from grace. Finishing well is important. We have people who have looked up to us, a witness to uphold, a God to glorify. For us, beginning our Thursdays together in prayer is an essential component of finishing well.

I am grateful for these men who encourage me with their faithful presence and prayers to finish well. Tonight, I’m one day closer than before, and thankful for God’s grace and these men. Together by that grace, we will all finish well.