Sometimes a little distance is a good thing. Sometimes when you are working on a knitting project or a writing project or in my case both at the same time, you sometimes need to take a break and walk away so that you can get a fresh perspective. However, there is the danger of going from taking a break to procrastinating.
I started working on a revision for a novel over a year ago. I completed the manuscript in time for a writer’s conference, but it was only a rough draft. After the conference, I came home fired up to revise it but it wasn’t long until the “real” world crept in and distracted me. To be honest though, the real reason I didn’t get to work on the revision is that I was overwhelmed because I knew the entire novel needed a lot of work and I had no idea how to go about the process.
In 2 Chronicles, King Asa had won a war against his enemies but Azariah warns him not to be too complacent because there is more work that needs to be done. Verse seven says, “Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chron. 15:7, KJV). Azariah points out that King Asa has made progress in the past but urges him to persevere and finish what he started.
It is easy to start a project and then get bogged down in the details. We may get most of it completed and run into an obstacle which requires a break. Of
ten it is hard to get back to that project and finish it. This is true in our spiritual lives as well. God calls us to work in a particular ministry, such as teaching a class or mentoring a younger person, and we start with enthusiasm and energy. However, it is easy to get sidetracked and let the ministry fall by the wayside, or experience failure and decide it was not meant to be. We get tired, so we take a break, but put off returning to the work.
When God calls us, He has a plan for our lives, one that he promises to finish. Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (KJV). God is faithful to persevere with us, so we should be willing to persevere in what He gives us to do. If he calls us to a ministry, He will be faithful to equip us and produce fruit in due season if we will be faithful to continue the work.
There are countless stories of people who almost gave up right before their biggest breakthrough. So, if you are struggling to get back on track, know that God has His arm outstretched, ready to help us. We only have to reach out and take hold of His hand. He will give us the strength to finish what He called us to do.