It’s in moments like these that the finish line is in your sights.
It’s no longer “I think I can,” it’s “let me press on and see what my end will be.” Wherever your finish line ends up, it is likened to Endicott.
I know you’re probably scratching your head. What is Endicott?
It means, end cottage. Symbolically, it represents the finish line. Everything you’ve gone through hasn’t been in vain.
I also know things have happened that jolted you. Seemingly knocking you off course, thereby causing you to pause.
You’ve presumably quit a number of times. Feeling like you can’t go on. There is even a part of you that’s spiritually exhausted from the persistent warfare. Let me admonish you; the race isn’t given to the swift, but to the one who endures.
Don’t worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6)
I know that’s a common response, especially in church circles. I want you to look in the mirror and repeat after me: “I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord.”
Know that there may not be an immediate physical change to your circumstances. I’m confident you will take back the reins of your life little by little, with God's help, of course. Often, in the midst of our trials, it seems like we’re alone. That may be the case in the natural , but ABBA Father says: “I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong! Be courageous! Do not be afraid of them! For the Lord, your God will be with you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you.”
— Deuteronomy 31: 6
That my friends is in spirit and in truth. Now look in the mirror once again and repeat after me: “I am beautifully and wonderfully made.”
These words are life, and you must believe the very words you speak. Now dust yourself off and get back up.
You can do it and, most assuredly, God will help you. If you would only allow Him to aid you. Do you know why I’m so confident you can and will get back up?
Because I did. But I didn’t get up on my own. I’ve been stuck and even quit a few times. I wanted to stay down, but God wouldn’t let me stay there.
I allowed Him to center me in His word. Prompting me to be lifted, for the joy of the Lord is my strength.
Most importantly, His joy is your strength too. Allow these words to become fuel for you today: “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good, for at the right time we will reap a harvest — if we do not give up.”
— Galatians 6: 9
So wherever your proverbial Endicott is staked, just know it won’t be easy. Especially where the path is God-led, there will be highs and lows, but He is sure to deliver you out of them all.
How do I know? He’s rescued me more times than I can count. Everywhere I’ve trodden I’ve seen His hand. Most importantly, He’s continuously made a way out of no way. Especially in the spaces where I thought there was no way out.
Remember His thoughts are higher than ours. His ways we can’t even explain. This I know to be true. His ways come with a manual and that’s the Bible.
That’s truly the book for me. What about you?
Apostle Jacqueline Hudson is a Waycross resident and author of the book “Never Say Never: A Memoir with a Twist.”
