{Day 28} Beauty for the Heart: Finishing Is More Important Than Starting

Each Sunday in October, I’ve been sharing Beauty For the Heart and telling you things my Mom taught me before she died from gastric cancer in 2009. The first Sunday of October I shared about passing on our faith, then we realized that life is short and last Sunday, I shared with you how Mom taught me to look for the blessings.

Today I’ll end with this truth that Mom taught me ~~finishing is more important than starting.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 NLT says, “Finishing is better than starting.”


My Mom was always starting things. She was one of the most talented women I have ever known.

  • For a season she decorated wedding cakes out of our home.
  • She took and mastered calligraphy.
  • She was a writer for Home Life Magazine and our local newspaper.
  • She started a business called, Windows by Wanda, and made window treatments.

We often laughed at all the things my Mom started.

But the one thing my Mom started and finished was a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Mom chose to live her life following hard after Christ and she passed that down to me. Because of my Mom I have a relationship with Christ and now it’s time for me to take the baton of faith and share it with those that I come in contact with.

It’s not how we started the race but how will we finish this race?

I don’t want to drop the baton. I want to finish well!

So my question for you is this, when it’s all been said and done will you finish well?



Have a blessed Sunday!

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  1. This is beautiful and such a touching post. I am so glad she finished the race victoriously!
    Visiting via – Imparting Grace
    P.S. I am hosting a Thankful Thursday linky party every Thursday in November. I would love it if you linked up this beautiful post.

  2. G’morning Cyndi! I’m so behind in reading these posts! I loved this one— had a lil’ chuckle of all the things your Mom started… sounds like me! But praise God she finished faithfullly 🙂 Thx for your encouragement…. I appreciate it! These posts about God, faith and your Mom were my fave!

  3. What an inspiring post… I sooo enjoy reading the different stories that you and your sister share about your Mom…. She surely was an amazing woman… and obviously in love with Jesus!!.. thank you so much for sharing with all of us!! Blessings, Terri

  4. Great words of wisdom! In fact, I have whole chapter in the ebook I’m finishing on “how to be a ‘finish’ carpenter.” I’ll share it with you as soon as it’s done (by the grace of God).

  5. Hi Cyndi, Oh, I hope that my faith continues to grow and I pray that my journey in faith will keep me on the path of my Savior. I know at times, I take a wrong turn here or there, but He always guides me back where I should be and tells me to start following again. Yes, I want to finish well for Him.
    My Mother-in-law was a dynamic, Christ-filled whirlwind! She devoted her life to Christ, her husband and raising 7 children who spanned 20 years. Every extra moment she found, she saw as an opportunity to do some kind of service for her God. Four years ago, we lost her to liver cancer. It was a rare type and when she was diagnosed, she was told she had about 3 months to live. She took the information with a few tears and continued on mothering, grandmothering, teaching children’s classes at her church and conducting Christian marriage classes for the churches in her community. About 2 weeks before she died, she was forced to take to her bed. She remained in constant prayer and thanksgiving and my father-in-law kept her room filled with flowers and Christian music playing 24 hours a day. The younger grandchildren wanted to get in bed with her and she was delighted. The night before she died, I rubbed her feet (she always loved that) and I felt blessed that the Lord gave me such a beautiful task. A couple of grandchildren lay sleeping on her bed, visitors quietly came and went. When she died the next day, I wanted to shout, “You’ve won Theresa, you have shown us how to live and die and you have done it beautifully!” I kept thinking how proud of herself she must have been, because she finished perfectly.

  6. Beautiful post, Cyndi. I really look forward to reading your blog everyday. Your mom is very proud of you. You have taken the baton of faith and freely share it with us. Thank you!

  7. I love this particular message. All of your messages inspire me. But I think this one in particular will touch everyone. Have a blessed Sunday. I look forward to reading your website every day.