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CE Forum
Finishing Well

When you read the story of King Uzziah in II Chronicles 26 you see an amazing tale of a man who made a wonderful impact on his nation for many years, yet ended up rebelling against God and dying as a leper. It says he did well, “until he became powerful.” Pride led to his downfall.

Paul Stanley and J. Robert Clinton have published a book called Connecting: The Mentoring Relationships you Need to Succeed in Life (NavPress). In it, they talk about finishing well (as opposed to Uzziah). Often we start well, but don’t finish well. The apostle Paul was obsessed with finishing well, not hanging on to prior accomplishments (Philippians 3).

Clinton and Stanley list five characteristics of leaders who finished well:

Perspective: seeing the broader context of the present circumstances, or relating what is happening now to a long range view that says God is in control. I am His, my ministry is His. With proper perspective you can focus on the important or priority matters. Intimacy with Christ: forms the core of your inner being. The power to lead and minister comes form the inner life. Usually this is a time issue: if we want the character and priorities of Jesus we must spend time with Jesus. Discipline in important areas of life: you must be self-controlled and channel your energy in specific directions. You must choose the important areas to work in. The challenge is to develop your gifts, abilities, and skills so they become true assets and resources in your pursuit of life goals. Discipline is required, not for its own sake, but for the kingdom’s sake. Discipline is a collection of habits that act as anchors in the uncertainty of life. Positive learning attitude: At some point in life, people start to “rest on their laurels.” They no longer actively pursue knowledge, understanding and the experiences that will enhance their capacity to grow and teach others. They plateau, lose touch, cut corners. Those who finish well are learning and incorporating new ways of doing things right to the end. Networks of meaningful relationships: finding mentors, peers and mentorees that challenge your life. Mentors and peers help you in the other four aspects of finishing well. They give perspective, know when you need renewal, can warn you of destructive life patterns or behaviours and provide accountability. Having a mentoree allows you to pass on what you know, and keeps the pressure up on finishing well because often a mentoree that does well challenges your set categories and makes you keep on learning.

I took the “finishing well” challenge recently, and examined my own life in these five categories. How about you? As a CE leader there will always be something you can work on to develop yourself. Go for it! And expect God to pull you forward in your faith and ministry!

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Last modified October 31, 2000.

Ideabank is a quarterly newsletter published by the Board of Christian Education Ministries, a board of the Canadian Conference of Mennonite Brethren Churches.

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