The Key to Finishing Strong

America is currently experiencing a nationwide pandemic of “senioritis.”

There’s no need for panic, though, because every high school teacher throughout the United States is familiar with this current epidemic. For those unfamiliar with the term, ACT, Inc., one of the nation’s leading college-preparatory organizations, defines senioritis as “the drop in motivation often experienced by high school seniors as they approach graduation.”

The experts at ACT go on to explain that senioritis is not just a feeling of tiredness or disengagement that prospective high school graduates begin to experience in the last weeks and months of their high school careers. It can actually develop into a major problem, potentially impacting students’ long-term productivity, drive, and focus. Consequently, it can also negatively affect post-graduation plans if not addressed in a timely manner.

On its official webpage, ACT lists five actions that high school seniors should incorporate to prevent the onset of severe senioritis:

1. Challenge themselves and maintain an advanced course load.

2. Get or stay involved in well-rounded activities.

3. Set clear academic and personal goals.

4. Commit to lifelong learning.

5. Don’t forget to enjoy this senior year.

As a retired high school teacher, I wholeheartedly agree with these realistic suggestions because I can readily attest to the potential problems surrounding senioritis. It is very real, and it takes every ounce of patience, compassion, creativity, and endurance that teachers possess to motivate senior students to finish strong during the last days of their final school year.

But hold on! High school seniors are not the only ones who battle senioritis.

As a senior citizen, I often find the potential spread of this very contagious disease to be a problem, especially in my daily walk as a Christian.

Forget the cute “senioritis” wordplay; the reality is that most people of retirement age have worked for decades to enjoy this long-awaited time in life. And like our high school senior counterparts, we just want to sit back and rest during this final season, lazily coasting to the finish line.

But the problem with that lethargic deceleration in activity is the consequential deceleration in overall motivation as well. And if we are not careful, senior citizens (just like high school seniors) can fail to finish strong.

Plus, senioritis is not a biblical concept.

In fact, the Bible is filled with warnings and directives about the potential problems of complacency, lethargy, and laziness in our latter years.

For example, Philippians 1:6 offers this encouragement: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

And the biblical encouragement to finish strong continues in Philippians 3:14: I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

But perhaps the greatest sermon on how to finish strong comes in 2 Timothy 4:7: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.

If those scriptures are not enough to cure retired believers of senioritis, there’s also a literal plethora of Bible characters to inspire a strong finish.

In my opinion, Dr. Joe McKeever might be one of the best examples of a Christian who is finishing strong. He has been pastoring and ministering God’s word for over six decades. He’s also a prolific author, cartoonist, columnist, and blogger.

Several years back, he wrote an online article about older heroes of the Bible: “Our favorite seniors in Scripture.”

The entire article deserves to be read, reread, and remembered by those of us struggling with senioritis in the final miles of our spiritual journey. But in the meantime, here are the older characters of the Bible that Dr. McKeever highlighted so eloquently: Abraham, Moses, Caleb, Joshua, Simeon, and Barzillai.

Now, most older Christians who have been serving the Lord for more than a few years are fully aware of the stories of most of these biblical characters. But here’s how Dr. McKeever describes the first four men in this list:

Abraham, the original trailblazer, teaches us: “It’s all about faith!”
Moses, the leader, teaches us: “Lead, follow, or go home!”
Joshua, the bench-warmer, suddenly sent into the game when everything was on the line, teaches us: “Be ready. You never know.”
And finally, Simeon, the old fellow who blessed the infant Jesus, as his final act of faithfulness.

But I must admit that when I first read Dr. McKeever’s list, the name of Barzillai was not instantly familiar to me. We learn about him in 2 Samuel 17 and 19, as King David was running for his life from Absalom. Long story short, Barzillai and other godly men provided David and his men with sanctuary.

A few weeks later, David reciprocates that pivotal hospitality by inviting Barzillai to come live out his remaining days in Jerusalem with the king. But at the age of 80, Barzillai graciously refuses this great honor, explaining that he wants to die in his own hometown.

Wait a minute, is this not a perfect example of senioritis?

According to Dr. McKeever, it is the exact opposite of spiritual complacency – if we read the rest of Barzillai’s story. Now, yes, it is true that this elderly Bible character did not load up and head to live with the king. Instead, he used this unbelievable opportunity to impact the next generation of believers by offering a younger man named Chimham to take his place in Jerusalem.

Through Barzillai’s story, Dr. McKeever reminds us: “Even when we are old and getting decrepit, we can look around and find a young man or woman of promise and bless them.”

The good Doctor McKeever is right: Taking our eyes off ourselves by blessing the next generation is a sure cure for senioritis. And it’s also good preventive medicine for those who will follow us in our walk of faith.

In fact, Chimham (the young man who went to Jerusalem with King David in Barzillai’s place) might just be the founder of a town of that same name that is mentioned 400 years later in Jeremiah 41:17.

As Dr. McKeever wrote of this little-known spiritual legacy: “Chimham’s descendants were still living there, hundreds of years later, generation after generation still blessed because old man Barzillai had had the foresight to introduce the king to this young fellow Chimham.”

Wow, forget senioritis. Like Barzillai, let’s choose legacy over lethargy by prayerfully blessing the next generation of believers.