How We Finish Matters

Several days ago, I glanced at the calendar and felt that familiar end-of-year drop in my stomach. The one that says, “You should be further along by now.” The one that whispers, “You didn’t do enough this year.”

It’s funny how this time of year can provide opportunities for both celebration and pressure. We look back at what we hoped to accomplish, and we feel the weight of everything unfinished. We start thinking about “finishing strong,” but sometimes that phrase feels like a burden, like one more thing we have to muscle our way through.

But as I’ve sat with that feeling, I’ve realized that finishing strong in the kingdom of God doesn’t look like hustling, striving, or squeezing out one last burst of performance.

Finishing strong looks like staying faithful. It looks like trusting God with what we can’t control. It looks like walking, not sprinting, with Jesus, one step at a time.

A Race That’s Less About Speed and More About Steadiness

When Scripture talks about finishing the race, it’s rarely about athletic power. It’s about endurance. It’s about staying the course when life gets loud. Paul writes:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 (ESV)

Paul isn’t bragging about speed. He isn’t boasting about perfection. He isn’t celebrating how many spiritual “tasks” he completed. He’s simply saying: “I stayed with Jesus.”

That’s the heart of finishing strong.

And as this year winds down, maybe that’s exactly the invitation God is giving us, not to scramble to check boxes, but to recommit our hearts to the One who walks the entire race with us.

When the Finish Line Feels Far Away

For many of us, the last stretch of the year feels harder, not easier. Energy drops. Routines slip. Motivation fades. Work gets busy. Families get needy. Calendars get crowded.

It’s like mile 23 of a marathon, past the point where adrenaline can help and not yet close enough to see the finish line.

But that’s the part of the race where character forms. That’s where our faith deepens. That’s where God often does His quietest, deepest work.

Hebrews reminds us:

“…let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…” Hebrews 12:1–2 (ESV)

Endurance comes not from looking at the clock, the calendar, or our performance, but from looking to Jesus. He’s the one who strengthens our steps when we feel tired. He’s the one who reminds us that our race has purpose, even when the path feels ordinary.

Finishing Strong Looks Different Than We Think

As we approach the end of the year, I’m learning that “finishing strong” may look like:

• Gratitude instead of grumbling

• Presence instead of rushing

• Prayer instead of panic

• Integrity instead of cutting corners

• Faithfulness in small things instead of trying to accomplish everything

Finishing strong isn’t about becoming superhuman. It’s about becoming more surrendered.

It’s about asking God to realign our hearts with His. It’s about remembering that He sees our progress even when we don’t.

Small Steps of Faith in Ordinary Days

The end of the year isn’t a deadline to impress God: it’s a chance to walk closely with Him.

For some of us, finishing strong might look like restoring a relationship. For others, it’s choosing rest over burnout. For others, it’s showing up one more day with integrity at work. And for some, it’s simply holding onto hope when the year didn’t go the way we expected.

Whatever finishing strong looks like for you this season, it doesn’t have to be dramatic. It just has to be faithful.

Because our strength comes not from pushing harder, but from abiding deeper in the love of God.

So let me ask you…

As I ask myself the same questions:

• What part of my race feels tired, stretched, or discouraged right now?

• Where am I tempted to give up, cut corners, or stop caring?

• What would “faithful” look like in this season, not perfect, just faithful?

• Where do I need to slow down so I can actually finish well?

• How might Jesus be inviting me to trust Him more deeply as the year closes?

A Closing Word for Fellow Pilgrims

You don’t have to sprint. You don’t have to impress. You don’t have to check every box.

You just have to keep walking with Jesus.

He’s the One who empowers you to endure. He’s the One who strengthens what’s weak. He’s the One who completes the work He began in you.

So as this year winds down, take heart. The race isn’t about perfection. It’s about direction. And if your eyes are on Christ, you’re already finishing strong.

Until the journey is complete,

Jonathan Pilgrim.

P.S. Take five minutes today and ask God, “What is one small, faithful step you’re calling me to take before the year ends?” Then simply take that step.