Maybe the reason that I heard the phrase "Follow through, Rebecca!" was because I was not following through, I was stopping short, and not giving it my best. Looking back over the general patterns in my life, it recently occurred to me that I have not accomplished many things I dreamed or set out to do, probably because I have not followed through. I started something and let it gradually fade into an unfinished, half-hearted task.
I think that there are lots of reasons why people tend to give up: burn out, grow weary, get bored, become discontent, lack stamina, change plans, be unmotivated, lose sight of goals, be lazy, etc. Some of those reasons may be acceptable, other reasons may be completely wrong, but we have ALL given up at some point or another!
This may be a 'duh' conclusion for most people, but for me it has been an 'ah-ha!' moment. I believe the reason I tend to start something and not finish it is because somewhere along the way my motives were selfish. Whether I set out to do a task from the beginning with selfish intentions or whether I became selfish as I exerted energy in attempting to accomplish a task, the thing I was doing was all about me instead of living for God to love others.
I am so weak and what starts out with seemingly honorable intentions can easily turn into something I want to use to glorify myself. Instead, I want to train myself to constantly ask "Who am I doing this for?"
Philippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also for the interests of others."
1 Corinthians 14:12 "So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound for the edification of the church [not your own edification]."
Therefore, we are to use all that God has equipped us with to build others up! When we abandon our selfish goals and commit to love and serve others, we are motivated to follow through by doing our best to the end.
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