Have you noticed how many beginnings do not have endings? The mess in the middle bred frustration. The project—painting the house, cleaning the living room, creating a caring relationship, writing a book—is abandoned before completion?
Initial brainstorming for a new project is exciting. Then, with the obvious roadblocks addressed, you start the project. What at first looked like a small hill now looms like a mountain. Reality and the inevitable unexpected complications make you wonder how you let yourself become entangled in the venture.
Is it time to swallow pride and bail out? Should you seek help or bite the bullet and wade through the trials as you bring the project to a polished final product? Is dealing with the mess in the middle bearable because the end is a worthy reward? How is one to know what to do?
First, pray. Honestly tell God your concerns and ask for his direction. Read scripture, and pray some more.
Making two lists helps me. First, I list rewards I expect to receive. Next, I list the costs. Can I handle the physical and emotional demands? Do I have the financial means to complete the project? Are timelines realistic for my schedule? Is the time allotment required realistic at this stage in my life? How will it affect loved ones?
Remember, even if you are sure God is directing you to proceed, it does not mean that the new project will be effortless or easy.
But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13b-14