When my friend Lynn and I were in high school, we took to the art of knitting with a passion. Whenever we were together, our needles were clicking on scarves, ear warmers, simple sweaters, mittens, baby clothes, and eventually ski sweaters with complicated patterns and multiple colors.
Within a few years, though, our zeal for knitting had shifted to college, then careers, husbands, homes, and children. It wasn’t until a decade later, when Nate and I were cleaning a crawl space, that I came across a giant box full of knitting stuff: needles, balls of yarn, pattern books, and partially knit items that were never completed. It surprised me how many I’d left undone.
_____________________________________________________________
Back in the 1970’s there was a movement in Christian circles with this slogan: “Please be patient. God isn’t finished with me yet.” I had a button that read, PBP.GIFWMY, and a book came out by that name. Although the fad passed, the concept remained. I gave up on my knitting and many other things too, but how good to know God will never give up on us.
In thinking of Mary and her time-consuming recuperation from cancer surgery, she might be tempted to sink into discouragement. “My progress has really slowed, and I still have so much pain. And I don’t like dealing with this feeding tube, which I’ll have to manage for quite some time. And when will I get my energy back and be able to resume normal life again? I wish my body would hurry up and heal. I want this to be finished!”
But… GIFWMY: “God isn’t finished with Mary yet.” Actually, it’s true of all of us.
Well, all but one. Jesus did finish.
From his near-death suffering on the cross, John 19:28 tells us he knew the moment his work was done: “Jesus knew that his mission was now finished.” And shortly after that he let the world know it by announcing, “It is finished!” He had done what he came to do, opening a way for us to get to God. His resurrection became the phenomenal exclamation point at that finish line.
The rest of us will never be able to say we have nothing more to do until we’ve moved in with Jesus. Only then will our work be finished, our purpose accomplished. In the mean time, God wants to help us finish what we start, especially in terms of our most difficult challenges. And his desire is to keep us from discouragement along the way. In reference to Mary and her slow healing process? GIFWM*Y. Not by a long shot,
*Mary
“I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)
Mary’s Prayer Requests:
- Praise for a partial solution to feeding tube pain
- Pray for continued improvement with remaining, deeper pain
- Praise for being released to go home today!
- Pray for strength and weight gain
- Pray for Tiff, who cleaned their hotel room for 15 days, a former crystal meth addict. They gave her a Bible.