It's Not Done 'Til It's Done

More than two thousand years ago, Aristotle introduced the idea of potentiality and actuality—the notion that everything exists somewhere between what it is and what it could become.

Fifteen centuries later, Thomas Aquinas carried that idea into a theological context. In his Summa Theologica, he argued that we aren’t static, but that we’re in motion, always moving from our potential toward our fulfillment. And ultimately, he said, that fulfillment isn’t found in comfort or achievement alone, but in coming to know God more perfectly, having been created in His image. The idea was that because he is a potentiality, he wouldn’t achieve true happiness any way other than in coming to know God more perfectly.

But strip away the philosophy and the theology, and what remains is something we recognize in our own lives:

We aren’t finished products.

We’re works in progress—living somewhere between what we are and what we could be.

The problem isn’t that we fall short. The problem is when we stop trying to get closer.

Most of us are given more potential than we ever fully recognize, let alone use. That potential has depth and it has breadth. And yet we often to coast along the surface of it, convincing ourselves we’ve gone far enough when we haven’t really tested our limits and capabilities at all.

Balance matters too. We should run this race as hard as we can, but not so hard that it finishes us before we finish it. That’s the difference between running it hard and running it well.

Because we will stumble.

We’ll misjudge, fall short, and lose momentum. Sometimes we’ll fail miserably, even embarrassingly. That’s part of the deal. But it’s also where redemption and renewal come in. They remind us that the race isn’t over just because we tripped. They give us a reason and an opportunity to find and hit our stride again.

It requires an honest effort, even in moments of disappointment.

If Aristotle were here, he might say we spend our lives moving from potential toward actuality.

If Aquinas were here, he might add that the direction of that movement matters—that fulfillment isn’t just about becoming more but becoming better.

Either way, the conclusion is the same:

It’s not done until it’s done.

And neither are we.

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