“Five, four, three, two, one…Happy New Year!” In the United States, the most famous countdown on New Year’s Eve is in New York City’s Time Square. However, in every time zone and all across the world, people bring in the new year with celebration. Without question, there is a place for setting goals and starting, but Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 7:8, “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” In so many ways, we get it backwards, but Solomon says the end is better than the beginning. Why is the end better?
First, the end is better because the end marks accomplishment. As hard as starting an activity or a project can be, finishing it is even harder. But endurance sees one through to the satisfying end. Second, the end is better because it develops or manifests character. After the glitter of the beginning fades, difficulty paints the true picture of a man. ‘Tis only the weary, calloused hand that grips the plow at the end of harvest. Third, the end is better because time tells the legitimacy of a matter. A house built on sand seems solid until the storm comes and snatches it away. However, substance endures, which time reveals. Be not hasty in judging success, for time will tell if the endeavor was sound.
As important as starting is, the true test is ending, for this year and for your life. Set goals, but be patient and continue to the end. The end is better than the beginning.
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