Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

2 Corinthians 8:11-12

When the boss ideates, and that boss is the highest authority, it’s hard not to take that idea and run with it. The further I was from being with the president, CEO, or Executive Director, the less room for questions about doing the task or project existed. The closer I got to the highest authority, the more times I found that it was a bunch of ideas, but not necessarily ones they wanted implemented. At one organization, I only did what I heard the boss say twice. The first time could be a great idea. I think he would toss something out there to get my reaction and questions asked. The second time he mentioned the idea, I knew it was a directive. 

There are others who do this filtering naturally. At the same organization, a colleague told me about a project that was all the rage 10 years ago. Flights were taken to other like-minded organizations that had the buds of the same idea. Teams were formed. It was going to change the trajectory of the entire organization. And yet, 10 years later, it was a whisper of a memory of something that never took off.

The beginning of something can be so exciting. Yet in 2 Corinthians 8, we are encouraged to complete projects and programs, too. It’s what we’ve accomplished that shows off God’s glory, not what we wish we were doing or working on at the moment.

If you are a leader in the nonprofit sector, be careful about spurting off your ideas with a caveat beforehand. Make sure staff know what you actually want them to do, and what you’d just like an opinion on from them. 

If you’re a staff member, finish your work, according to your means. It’s the work completed that will count and be seen by God.

In other words, finish what you started. 

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© 2023, Mollie Bond. All rights reserved. Originally published at www.molliebond.org.