We’ve all seen it happen; a team is behind in the 4th quarter. And then something happens and suddenly the team turns things around and starts scoring points. Sometimes that 4th quarter surge even leads to an unexpected win! One of the great come-from-behind games took place last year in October, when the Denver Broncos scored 33 points in the 4th quarter against the New York Giants. The final score was 33-32. And many of the Giants fans, and even some of the announcers were asking, “What Just happened?”
In basketball there are 4th quarter comebacks too, where a team is able to come from behind and erase a 20 or 30 point deficit to win the game. It’s hard to fully explain how it happens, but something changes within a player and then the team that ultimately changes the momentum, the direction, and the outcome of the game. It’s always fun to see that happen…I guess unless you’re a fan of the team that winds up on the losing end of things.
What has me thinking about this is that yesterday evening I realized we have entered the final quarter of 2026. As I write this article, it is October 2. Hard to believe isn’t it! So, the question I found myself thinking about last evening was, “Have I accomplished the things in 2026 that I had intended to?”
Take a moment to think about that question. Have you accomplished the things in 2026 that you had intended to? Maybe your answer is “Yes.” If so, good for you. Maybe your answer is “Mostly, and I’m working on the final goals I have.” That’s fantastic. Maybe your answer is, “Well, I’ve done a few things but…” That’s OK. As my Maps program will say when I get off course while driving, “Recalculating.” Celebrate what you have accomplished and recalculate! Come up with a realistic plan, heavy on the word realistic, that you can still work on and accomplish in the time frame we have remaining this year.
Or maybe your answer to that first question is, “No, I gave up on those goals long ago.” Again, that was maybe a necessary decision considering some unexpected happenings in your life journey. That’s OK. But there is still time remaining this year. You still have 3 months ahead of you in which to accomplish something worthwhile in the year. It’s not over! Even starting with small steps toward a goal can help change the momentum in your life, which can then change the direction of things, which then can change the outcome of your life for 2026. There is still time!!!
The same message is true for one’s life. Some of us who are reading this article are in the 4th quarter of life. If I live until I’m 80, I’m in the 4th quarter of life. If I live until 100…well not yet. Anyway, even if a person is in the 4th quarter of life, there is still time remaining in the game, so to speak. Don’t give up while there is still time left on the clock. How do you want to make a difference in your life? What do you want to learn? What do you want to experience? Who do you want to meet? Who do you want to talk to? What would you like to accomplish. If you’re feeling stuck in life, there is still time to change the momentum and direction of your life. You might want to find a friend, a life coach, a spiritual director, or someone who can help you get back in the game and help give you a strategy to move forward toward accomplishing some of the goals you still have.
Just as churches, organizations, and businesses need a purpose, so do we as individuals. We all need a purpose to keep us moving in a positive direction. I don’t know about you, but I want to be a part of a team that accomplishes something meaningful, even in the final minutes of the game. As I’ve told people throughout my ministry, if you’re still breathing, God can use you. Let God guide you toward the purpose you can yet fulfill…because as long as you’re breathing there’s still time on the clock!
Pastor Keith