Finishing Well .......... Parables 698b

January 2, 2001

Aunt Bessie’s funeral was December 27th, four days before the end of this year, a year to the day from my Dad’s funeral and two months after her husband’s burial.

For me and others in my family, questions about endings lurk in our minds even more than they normally do this time of year. We started 2000 with a list of dreams and now end it looking at the results. Few people want to end a year poorly and as we buried Bessie, we realized it is the same with our lives.

In a poem entitled “Exit,” author Luci Shaw asks these questions: “When you go will you go with a sizzle—a spiteful spitting on a hot plate? . . . when you leave will you leave with a bang—exploding like a far star, kicking your hot cinders in God’s eyes?”

I know that I do not want to finish anything with a sizzle, a spiteful spitting or any defiance toward God. Instead, I prefer an exclamation mark, a humble reliance, and a sense of hearing God say, “Well done, my child.”

It is this need to feel significant, to matter, that comes into focus during the last few weeks of December or at funerals. We evaluate, resolve, check off our lists, and set new goals.

I used to be big on New Year’s resolutions but ignored factors that are out of my control, like the limits of a twenty-four hour day. About five years ago, I shifted my to-do list toward a “to-be” list. The Bible says God wants me to be like Jesus and so I selected that as a worthy goal.

Worthy goals give meaning to life. As Spanish composer and musician Pablo Casals said, “The capacity to care gives life its deepest significance.” One part of what it means to be like the Lord, one part of having a significant life, is deeply caring for other people.

Bessie was like that. She knew Jesus. She was not a perfect person (like He is) but she deeply cared about others. She took care of her ailing husband. She drove other women to their appointments and events, women fifteen years younger than she but who had stopped driving in their ‘old age.’ She loved her children and grandchildren, and as one of them said, she leaves a huge hole in the family. Jesus and caring about others gave her life meaning.

Caring about others expresses itself in different ways. My aunt had a servant heart that moved her to practical action. My father cared about people too yet his way of showing it was by helping them build things. Others might lend their leadership skills, or teach, or offer uplifting, encouraging words or a hug of compassion. If the heart is right, the actions will be also.

The minister at Bessie’s funeral said that her life went full circle. She began by helping her mother care for her father and ended by caring for her husband and others. When her tasks were done, she was done also. Her death was at the right time; her work was finished.

Just before Jesus left this earth, He prayed, “Father, the time has come. . . . I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” As He died on the cross, He shouted, “It is finished.”

His life was not long as long as Bessie’s, only thirty-three years. His ministry was very short too, only three years, yet Jesus did all that God wanted Him to do. He finished well, even perfectly, a model for Aunt Bessie and for all those who love Him and give their lives to Him.

Lord, the year is nearly over and I’m thankful for the life of my aunt and the example she set. She was not a perfect person in her lifetime, yet because of Your promise, “when we see Jesus we will be like Him” — Bessie is perfect now. She gazes on Your glory for eternity. Thank you for that hope; it belongs to all who trust in You. Thank You also for another year—the one just past and the one that lies ahead. Help me evaluate honestly, trust whole-heartedly, obey quickly, and when my turn comes, to also finish well.