Finishing well isn’t accidental: it’s intentional faithfulness
The first concert I ever attended still echoes in my memory three decades later. My friends and I were entertained, inspired, and almost literally flying high as we crowd surfed before going backstage to meet the band. The experience did not disappoint.
But one moment in the upbeat, high-energy evening stood apart—a song that slowed the pace and pierced through the noise with a sobering message that seemed to pull back the curtain on following Christ in the spotlight. "What if I stumble, what if I fall?" the trio solemnly sang. "What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?"
At the peak of their fame, the band members seemed aware of the potentially pernicious effects of influence. In time, two of the three frontmen would publicly stumble or lose their way—living out the very fears they'd sung about.
Statistically, what happened to these bandmates aligns with what leadership scholar J. Robert Clinton said happens to Christian leaders more broadly. Clinton concluded that only one in three "finish well," "walking with God in a vibrant personal relationship, developing the potential God has given to its appropriate capacity, and leaving behind an ultimate contribution that is both pleasing to God and established by Him." Two-thirds falter—some quietly, some publicly.
I'm aware of the slow creep of compromise—justifying small lapses, avoiding hard conversations, neglecting prayer. It's easy to drift unobserved, but I'm realizing that it's what happens behind the scenes—in disciplines we observe or neglect, in guardrails we establish or ignore—that sets our course toward faithfulness or drift.
How many headlines must we read of leaders undone by pride, greed, addiction, or complacency before we acknowledge our own vulnerability? As the old hymn reminds us, we are "prone to wander." When we hear of less-than-faithful finishes, it's not enough to grieve what happened to others. We must recognize the warning: It could happen to us.
Knowing that few finish well, what steps are we taking to cultivate a life of faithfulness? What are we doing to avoid becoming part of the meandering majority? What practices of confession and accountability have we adopted to course correct when we begin to lose our way?
The statistics are sobering, but they're not meant to leave us in despair. While the propensity to drift is real, so is the opportunity to row. Finishing well is no accident, but with intentionality, recalibration, and an abundance of God's grace, it is possible. In the same arena where we were reminded of our susceptibility to stumbling, we were offered a glimpse of something strong, steady, and enduring: God's faithfulness. "I hear You whispering my name; You say, 'My love for you will never change.'" Because of God's unchanging, unfailing love, there is grace for our wandering hearts.
By God's grace, let's become part of shifting the statistics of those who are known for long-term faithfulness. May we live, serve, love, and finish well.
 | Peter Greer is president and CEO of HOPE International, a global nonprofit working to alleviate physical and spiritual poverty in 29 countries around the world. Peter’s favorite part of his role is spending time with the remarkable entrepreneurs HOPE serves. A graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School, Peter has co-authored over 15 books, including Lead with Prayer, Mission Drift, Rooting for Rivals, and How Leaders Lose Their Way. While his sports loyalties remain in New England, he lives with his wife, Laurel, and their four children in Lancaster, PA. Learn More » |
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