God Finishes What He Begins

I have a friend who always reads the ending of a book first. She says she wants to know how the story ends before she invests the time and energy to read the whole book. I’ve never understood this mindset. I mean, why would you want to know the ending of the story before you start? Part of the fun is seeing how the story unfolds along the way. Why would you want to spoil that?

When I wrote and published my first book, Kentucky Family, almost 10 years ago, it was a form of therapy – a way of processing my father’s sudden death and the grief that seemed to cripple me. I was proud of the story and the sweat and (literal) tears I had poured into the project, and in the end I just hoped my dad would have been proud of the result.

Before I began writing the book, I created a bulleted list of stories and memories I knew I wanted to include. Writing the book then became a process of simply going down the list and writing a chapter for each bulleted item. I knew from the beginning how the book would end.

Several years later when I wrote my second book, it was an exciting adventure. I lost myself in researching a story that had always fascinated me. I found such joy in creating the puzzle of a historical mystery for my readers to solve. I loved pulling together actual historical events and inserting fictional characters and story arcs of my own invention into a novel. I mapped out the plot including the complex shifting timelines and multiple character points of view to make sure everything flowed well. It was a daunting task, but again, I could see the finish line. I knew how I wanted the story to end.

Writing my current book, His Timing, has been a very different experience.

This time around, I feel like I spent much of the initial writing process trying to figure out how the story would end. I was literally writing about dealing with a major health crisis in real time, as I was experiencing it, with no end in sight. Each time I felt I had decided on an appropriate way to end the book, a new turn of events would make me question which direction I should take and whether or not God was done with the story.

I knew early on that this book would be special. God has already worked through my experience in so many ways, and I knew He wanted me to share this journey with others. However, having God as your coauthor requires some serious prayer and reflection! Each chapter, each paragraph, and each sentence takes on a whole new level of importance when you realize you are telling a story you were called to share by the God of the universe.

Multiple times, I have found myself questioning how to share my story in a way that will do justice to the message God has for those who read it. I’m currently working on my third round of revisions, and I still find myself questioning whether God is finished with this story and whether I am telling it in a way that would be pleasing to Him.

Today, I came across Philippians 1:6, a verse I have read many times before: “I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Some translations say, “I am confident of this…” or “I am convinced of this…” The footnote in my Bible for this verse says, in part, “God finishes what He begins.”

Let me say that again. God finishes what He begins.

We don’t always know how the story ends, but that’s because it’s not our story to begin with. Philippians 1:6 tells us that God, not us, will carry the work on to completion. I don’t need to worry that I am rushing things or that God isn’t done with this story. He will carry it on to completion in His timing.

I am so thankful that He always knows how the story ends before we even know the beginning.