How will you finish this?

We’re in that stretch of the year where the calendar feels both heavy and slow.

Deadlines, end-of-year reports, school concerts, wrapping up projects — and somehow, the expectation to “finish strong” hums in the background of it all. It’s a phrase we repeat often, but rarely stop to define.

For many, finishing strong means pushing harder, doing more, squeezing out the last bit of energy before the year ends. But perhaps this year, finishing strong looks different.Perhaps it’s not about doing more, but about becoming more present.Not about perfection, but about peace.

The truth is, you and I don’t have to sprint across the finish line to be faithful.Sometimes the strongest finish is the one marked by reflection, by gratitude, by choosing to end with intention rather than exhaustion.

Paul’s words in Philippians 3:12 remind us that faithfulness isn’t about arriving but about continuing — pressing on, even when the pace slows. It’s the awareness that though perfection is the target, the goal is to keep on keeping on. That kind of perseverance is less about performance and more about posture.It’s about turning our eyes again toward Jesus, who finished His race not in a rush, but in surrender.

As Advent nears, we are invited into this same rhythm —

to slow down,

to notice,

to let go of what we cannot carry forward,to surrender.

Perhaps finishing strong this year might mean being more of a source of peace as everyone around you is frenzied by year-end demands.Perhaps it could look like being the one who offers gratitude — to co-workers, to servers, to strangers — bringing lightness into heavy spaces.It may mean confessing where we’ve been stretched thin, allowing God to restore what’s been worn down in us, and choosing not to pass on that same pressure to others.Perhaps it’s accepting that some plans are better served in the new year.

Maybe that’s how we prepare the way — not by pushing harder, but by making space.

By slowing down.

By being authentic.

By being different.

Finishing strong might look quieter this year.It might look like prayer instead of pressure, gratitude instead of grind, stillness instead of speed.

And maybe that’s exactly the kind of strength Advent calls us to — the kind that comes not from us, but from the One we’re waiting for.

So as we enter the final stretch, may we choose to finish not in a rush, but with intention — hearts open, roots deep, and eyes lifted toward the One who is coming.

As this year draws to a close, how will you finish it?May you find the courage to rest, the grace to release what you can’t control, and the faith to believe that slowing down is not losing momentum — it’s finding meaning.May your strength this season be found not in striving, but in stillness.And may the waiting of Advent remind you that even in the quiet, God is at work — renewing, restoring, and preparing something new within you.

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