Finish It

Lesson Three: Finish It

This one isn't so much a yell and respond sort of message. I had intended to hold this one off for a while so that "Not Today" and "It Doesn't Matter" could sink in a little more, but once again circumstances (or, more likely, Providence) have intervened.

We had a game last Thursday. We led the whole game. Never trailed once. But in the 4th Qtr, the other team pulled it together. Oh, and they pressed too. Now, we've practiced press breaking, but the boys started to panic. And with the panic came the mental errors. The other team only led once, but it was for the last 2 seconds of the game. Like so many of my favorite teams (Cubs, Chargers, Notre Dame), we couldn't close the deal.

So, the third lesson is Finish It. Finish It is about perseverance. It's also about sustaining the intensity necessary to win. I want them to learn that a success hasn't been achieved until the job is done.

There's no such thing as success at halftime.

This lesson is also about the inherent uselessness of good intentions. As the saying goes, "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." In order to finish it, you must first start it. But even that isn't good enough. Once you've started it, you stop at nothing until you've seen it all the way through.

"Not Today" and "It Doesn't Matter" are about orienting your mind toward success. "Finish It" takes it from your mind and implements it into physical activity that accomplishes a goal. It isn't enough to try. Maybe Yoda summed it best.

"Do or do not. There is no try."

On expansion, this may well be the most difficult of the three lessons to accept in a Christian life. We frequently hide behind the lie that "trying" to be a Christian is good enough.

"I tried to be good, but I just couldn't help myself."
"I tried. I really did. But it was just too much."
"Believe me, I tried to hold the marriage together but it just didn't work."

Lies. All of them. The first one is a common phrase from my 6-year-old. The second is just someone's way of saying that they didn't want it badly enough. The last is an extension of an underlying pride that has forgotten that the entire purpose of our lives is one of servitude and that what we do or don't get out of it is totally irrelevant, popular psychology to the contrary. Just another smattering of excuses for failure for which we don't want to accept personal responsibility.

Christianity is a life-long battle that is renewed every day. There is never a time at which you've "done your part." It's never someone else's turn. No matter your age, you are never entitled to retirement from God's service. Not until you hear it from the Father Himself. When you stand before Him and hear the words we all work for, "Well done good and faithful servant," then and only then are you done.

Ask my parents about this one. My Dad and Mom graduated college together at 66 and 63, respectively. Then started their own business. Now, with my Dad in his later 70's, they aren't killing time in Florida living the good life. They continue to suffer through one harsh South Bend winter after another, teaching the Word to those who want to learn, marching and praying to protect the lives of the innocent, and working to stabilize the lives of two divorced 50-year-old children whose lives have fallen apart. My mom's brother has one home in northwest Indiana and another in Fort Myers, Florida. He has all the money he needs and plays 200+ rounds of golf per year. It isn't fair, but then if you've read enough of this blog you'll know what my views on "fair" are. But Mom and Dad will be ready. Uncle Ed's going to need to explain why he buried his talent instead of doubling it.

So, getting back to the boys and their basketball. Gracious, did I ever wander on this one.

There are lots of ways to apply this one:
When they are tired of running ladders (aka line drills) and start to jog the last few yards instead of sprinting. It's time to give whatever they have left and finish it.
When they miss the layup. It's time to grab that rebound and put it back up. And if they miss, get it again. No stopping until the bucket has been made.
When they miss the jump shot. Follow every shot and get the rebound. Don't stop until they have scored.
When the temptation is to relax, become more aggressive instead. If we have the lead, protect it with the press.
Focus. Use the game clock wisely. Use fouls intelligently. Employ every trick to preserve the lead instead of assuming it will preserve itself.

Finish it. If you haven't succeeded, then you aren't done.