Unfinished Business
I have a confession to make: I'm terrible about starting projects that I never finish. Don't believe me? I'll prove it to you by taking you on a short tour. Let's begin in my office, for there are lots of unfinished projects here. If you'll look in the tall filing cabinet, you'll see stories that I never finished, books that are missing the final touches and Sunday School lessons that I had intended to turn into book chapters.
Next, let's visit the dining room, which tends to be used more for storage than for dining. See those two quilts hanging over the chair. One of them belongs to my parents. I made it for them several years ago, but a few months back, a piece of the border became torn. "No problem," I said, "just a few stitches should fix that right up." Yet, there it hangs. The other quilt belongs to my husband. I made it for him several Christmases ago. Since then, however, we have upgraded from a full-size bed to a queen-size, so the quilt is a little small. "No problem," I said, "I'll just do up a few strips to add to the sides. It shouldn't take too long." So much for that thought. This room also contains the wreath I was supposed to repair as well as the coffee table decoration I've had for so long that I forgot what I was asked to do with it.
From there, we can visit the living room and foyer which contain books I never finished reading and magazines I never finished studying. A peek into the laundry room will show you the wood pieces intended to be used for the bench seat to my parents' dining room table. (Oh wait, that's Jason's unfinished project, not mine.) As you can see, unfinished projects are scattered around my house like the autumn leaves on the ground. I don't mean to leave things undone. I just get sidetracked, and before I know it, I'm so involved with another project, I don't have the time or energy to work on the previous one. It's a complicated mess!
Aren't you glad God doesn't have unfinished business? Not only did He complete His work on Calvary by sacrificing His only Son so that we could have eternal life, but He's also completing a work in each of us. You see, when we were saved, we became new creatures, but that was just the beginning. There is still so much growing and learning to do. And that's what God does for us each and every day. He loves us just the way we are, but He also loves us too much to leave us that way. As the old children's song says, "He's still working on me to make me what I ought to be."
None of us have arrived in our Christian walk, but we can take great comfort in knowing that God is still working on us. Lovingly. Faithfully. Patiently. Day after day. We will never be left alone, forgotten or discarded like the myriad of unfinished projects around my home. No! God has begun a good work in us, and He won't stop until that work is completed. No matter how long it takes or how difficult the task may be.
Now, if you'll excuse me, it seems there are a lot of things I need to try to catch up on. Hmm, where to begin?