SCRIPTURE: John 17:4 NIV I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. John 19:30 NIV When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
THOUGHT: What exactly does being finished mean? To anyone struggling with perfectionism, the job (or paper, or parenting, or praying, or preparing) never feels quite finished. I’ve struggled with that most of my life, and I can tell you that it sucks the joy out of almost everything. But Jesus lived by a different rhythm, and it’s one I’m trying to emulate as a Reformed Perfectionist.
Somehow, among people who were un-healed, un-kind, and un-Godly, and in a world where things were decidedly un-new, Jesus told God he had finished everything. Not everyone got their miracle, making things new wasn’t visible, and that truth flows down to me right where I live. This is why those quiet moments between God and Jesus were so critical – he always had marching orders, he always had discernment about the schedule he needed to keep to achieve the goal, and it became like freedom to walk in obedience to the wisdom of his Father.
To our eyes, on that Friday long ago, Jesus didn’t get the miracle he was asking for either. The cup of judgment was offered him (instead of you and I) and he drank it to the last drop. Sunday was coming and Jesus wanted to finish well.
DR. S.M. LOCKWOOD: It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a17rMnj4kQs
PRAYER: If anyone ever had a reason to struggle with perfectionism, Jesus, it was you. You left perfection to put on injured flesh, live in an injured world and make things new. It wasn’t all finished, and yet, you finished the work your Father gave you to do. Help me follow your footsteps in listening well, following well, and finishing well.
Amy released a full-length book in early 2021, Walking When You’d Rather Fly: Meditations on Faith After the Fall. Maybe you’d like to check it out here.
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