9 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Be strong and finish the task! Zec 8:9
As humans, we are intrinsically goal oriented and have an innate desire to be the best representative of ourselves. We often contemplate goals that we would like to achieve and devise ways of accomplishing set goals. These goals vary in size, nature. At the initial stage of goal execution, we are bursting at the seams with zeal and determination. However, as time progress the zeal that once consumed us vanishes like dew as the sun rises. Changes in the atmospheric conditions of the goal accomplishing environment result in feelings of fatigue, weariness, exhaustion, discouragement, etc. As such, many goals that were started are left unfinished. So many of us even die without attaining that which we set out to perform.
This is not unique to our generation as the scriptures make us aware that the chosen people of God faced similar situations. They had the goal of building a temple, but because the pathway to goal execution was paved with obstacles, they became despondent and quit working. The Lord himself had to admonish them through the prophet to “be strong and finish the task!” He was making them aware that goal accomplishment requires strength. Strength is gained from lifting weights. One may not be able to benchpress or lift their body’s weight initially as it would take practice. This means that they would need, to begin with, a weight that they are able to lift easily without harming themselves, and slowly adding more weight over time. Sometimes in the process of increasing the weight, we may fail all together at lifting. I believe that failure is the determining factor that either breaks or makes us.
Failure is often viewed negatively. However, it is in failure that we learn vital lessons for success. Winston Churchill stated, “Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm” Enthusiasm is derived from the Greek word “Entheo” which basically means “in God” This simple means that if we are rooted in God, then we will have the strength that we need to be successful at goal execution. Finishing the task would, therefore, require us to be consistent at working. The struggle of consistency is an issue that we have as humans. This is because we are cultured to think that everything should happen in the blink of an eye. Nevertheless, I dare to say all good things take time, so be strong and finish the task!
Finishing the task requires:
- Being Rooted in God
- Being Strong – add weight, burdens, task, etc a little at a time
- Being Consistent- go from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm
12/9/16 Dr. R.A.
Issues from the Heart 