It is finished

A requirement for physical therapy school is to design and complete a research project. So, for two years I have been working with three other classmates (also my favorite friends in the class) on our research thesis. We began our study last year and since that time we have managed to successfully carry out an entire research study. We spent the majority of last week finalizing our brilliantly created masterpiece in preparation for our presentation on Friday afternoon. Each day we made edits, re-read articles, discussed our conclusions, checked our final statistical analysis, and prepared the required materials. After 2 years of hard work and an entire week of frantically trying to perfect our finished product; we submitted our poster and presentation to our mentor.  She kindly e-mailed us back with many needed changes and many “suggestions” for improvement before we presented to the department. Despite our frustrations and our lack of desire to make the changes; we did. As a group we decided that we had put too much blood, sweat, and tears into our project to quit now. So we re-printed our poster and put another 3 hours into our presentation.  At the point of pure delirium, we parted ways Thursday night, prepared to face our professors and defend our work the next afternoon. And yesterday we did just that. We stood in front of our classmates and professors and presented our work. After answering all of the questions from the firing squad (our professors); we were done.  As we sat back in our desks, we made a toast with our water bottles. As we toasted; we said, “It is finally finished.”  Late last night, I received a text from one on my research partners and good friend saying: we received a perfect score on our presentation.  In an instant, all of our hard work, all of our disappointments, all of our late night preparations, all of our frustrations, all of our defeats, and all of our stress vanished and I was celebrating our victory. (my celebration consisted of sleeping for 15 hours)

For two and a half years, I have been striving for one goal educationally:  to earn my doctorate of physical therapy degree and yesterday when my research project was completed; I had overcome the last major hurdle in reaching that goal. From the beginning of Jesus’ life; he had one goal. To live a perfect life and endure the cross so we could all have eternal life. All of His miracles, all of His hard work, all of His love, all of His preparations vanished as He was nailed to the cross. In an instant, He was betrayed, He was mocked, He was beaten, He was tortured: He was crucified. When he said, “It is finished”; He meant it. He meant that His purpose had been fulfilled and that He had permanently and finally paid it all. And because He paid it all; there is victory in Heaven. Each and every one of us has our own victory. We have our own redemption story. We have our own encounters with Jesus. We have our own celebrations. We have a savior. When was the last time you celebrated your victory? When was the last time you allowed everything but Jesus to vanish? Or maybe you haven’t ever tasted true victory in Jesus. Maybe the one who claimed victory doesn’t live within your heart. Knowing Jesus doesn’t require years of hard work, frustrations, defeats, and late night preparations.  It requires acknowledging that He is our savior who died for our sins and inviting Him into your heart.  Jesus wants you to taste true victory. He wants you to make a toast and say, “it is finally finished.”

When I started physical therapy school; I wanted to quit many times. In fact, I was convinced that after my gross Anatomy class was over; I was finished. I didn’t enjoy anything about school and I no longer wanted to endure the evils that came along with becoming a physical therapist. And just as I was about to quit for good; I saw the cross. I saw the cross and knew that as Jesus hung there; he endured because he knew what lied ahead. My research project is just one example of the many ways I have endured over the past 2 ½ years. My perfect score isn’t my only victory; my victory is found in the one who endured the cross, allowing me to endure all things and celebrate with Him in Heaven one day soon.

Verse to remember: John 19:30 Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.