April 27: Finish What You Started
Your inventory might be dragging on because you want it to be perfect before you call it done.
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.”
Jesus tells a short story about a man who starts building a tower. He lays the foundation, then runs out of money. The tower sits there half finished, and everybody who walks by laughs at him.
Jesus told it about counting the cost of following Him. But it fits the inventory too. Starting is important. Finishing matters just as much.
Perfectionism is one of the most common ways people get stuck in Step Four. They rewrite pages. They worry they’ve left something out. They want every line just right before moving on. Weeks turn into months. Months turn into a year. Meanwhile, the resentments and fears are still running their lives.
Here’s the truth: no inventory is perfect. Nobody remembers every resentment. Nobody gets every fourth column exactly right. And you don’t need to. This isn’t a final exam. It’s a tool to help you see yourself honestly so you can bring it to God and another person.
If something comes to mind later, you can add it. In fact, later steps make room for exactly that. Recovery includes taking inventory regularly for the rest of your life. This first one doesn’t have to hold everything forever.
Counting the cost also means making a plan. How many entries do you have left? How much time can you give each day? When is a realistic finish date? Write that down. Tell someone.
Many people find a few weeks is about right. Long enough to be thorough. Short enough not to stall.
Good enough and honest beats perfect and unfinished.
If you’re stuck, try going down the page instead of across. Fill in all the names first, then all the causes, then what each one affected, then your part. Many people find this keeps them moving when going row by row stalls.
One thing today
Count what’s left on each of your four lists. Then write a finish date on the first page of your notebook, no more than two weeks from today.
A prayer
Lord, I want this to be perfect, and that’s keeping me stuck. Help me be honest rather than perfect. Give me what I need to finish what I started. Amen.
More on finishing Step Four.
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