FINISHING WELL

FINISHING WELL

"But I discipline my body and bring it under control, lest,
having preached to others, I should become a castaway."
-- Paul the Apostle (1 Corinthians 9:27)

On a cold, wintry morning, well over a hundred years ago in
1864, an almost penniless drunkard stumbled in a heap in a
seedy section of New York city bleeding from a slashed
throat.

A doctor at the scene sutured the man's wound with some
black cotton thread somebody found. He was then admitted to
Bellevue Hospital as an unknown man. Three days later he
died.

When a friend came looking for him, he was directed to the
local morgue. He knew this man was not a nameless derelict.
He was the genius who wrote such popular songs as, "Swanee
River," "Camptown Races," "Oh, Susanna," "Beautiful
Dreamer," and two hundred more. His name? Stephen Foster.

First, how sad it is that so often we judge people by what
they appear to be instead of seeing them for who they really
are.

And how tragic when so many start well but end poorly. And I
know this, but for the grace of God, I could have easily
gone the way (and still could) of many a "Stephen Foster."
This is why every day I commit and trust my life to God--a
source of power greater than my own. I've done this since my
youth and plan to continue to pray this every day for the
rest of my life.

Trusting God doesn't free us from personal responsibility,
but it does give us a compass to guide us through life's
journey and an anchor to steady us through life's storms.
God isn't going to do for us what we can and need to do for
ourselves, but he will do for me what I can't do and give
us the hope, motivation, and courage to finish life's
journey on course.

"Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that when I commit
and trust my life to you, you are with me every step of the
way. Please help me to always trust in you, no matter what,
and stay on course that you have directed for me all the
days of my life. Gratefully in Jesus' name. Amen."

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