How to Finish What You Start

Dear reader, 

I have to be forthright. I have never robbed a bank. I’ve thought about it many a time, (Just to be honest.) 

I’ve always considered it to be a challenge I wondered if I could overcome with my skills. 

BUT. This letter isn’t about my criminal tendencies. 

The other day I met with a student that I’d been mentoring since 2022. He’s got a rough history and he deals with a lot of crap daily. 

One of the ways we connected was through games. He was placed in the juvenile rehabilitation center where I worked, and I learned very fast he never wanted to do school, but if I offered to play a game with him he’d always take it. 

Over the months I gradually began to increase the difficulty of the games we would play. Many scholastic skills can be learned in board games, and I aimed to teach him schooling whilst playing games. 

One of which was the game ‘How to Rob a Bank’.

The other day he asked if we could play it, and I eagerly got the game out. I set it up, we picked our sides and began playing. 

The game mechanics are very interesting, it involves strategy and responding to the strategy of the other players. 

One group is the security guards in the bank, the other is the robbers. 

We played the first two rounds and his attention dwindled with each card and action played. Rather abruptly he said, “I don’t want to play anymore.” 

I looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. “How come?”

”It’s making my brain hurt.” 

I picked up my cards and began to shuffle them for the next round. “I think we should finish what we started. You don’t want to be known as someone who quits before the finish line.” 

He finished the game with me, but put little to no effort into winning. But it made me think about how often I do this in my own life. 

I face difficult challenges everyday. 

There are many tasks that I would and do easily back out of in order for ease of mind. 

I was confronted with myself in that game, and it was as I was telling myself “You don’t want to be known as someone who quits before the finish line.”

Today I am still running, some days I’m limping, but I don’t want to stay put. I don’t want to be known as one who is stagnate or unwilling to pursue action. 

I challenge you in this way. 

Are you voluntarily stepping out of the task God has given you to play?

Or will you see it through?

Sincerely, 

Your Fellow Race Finisher

-Mitchell