THAT THING CALLED “SEE FINISHISM”

By Oluchi Okafor Ugwunne.

Once I heard a pastor say that in life’s relationships, after a while, some people suffer from a condition known as ‘See- finish-ism’.

It’s a condition in which, because of prolonged contact with someone, or because you literally know them inside out-having lived with them or worked with them-they sort of lose the hype you had about them at initial contact. You know their faults, weaknesses, challenges. All of a sudden, they don’t seem very special anymore; they become like everyday people.

Thus, people who know them from a distance may still be singing their praises or hyping them, but you’ll roll your eyes and be like, ‘Please! I’ve seen it all, there’s nothing special about him/her.’

It happens everyday-spouses that have ‘seen their spouses finish’, congregations that have ‘seen their pastors finish’, even children that have ‘seen their parents finish’. All of a sudden, these people have very little worth in your eyes. You don’t even want to hear anything they have to say. ‘What new thing do they want to tell me that I have not heard before?’ you ask.

I think that this was probably the condition that the people of Jesus’ hometown must have suffered from. This was Jesus, who grew up with them in their town. They’d seen him as a child. They knew his roots. Listen to the sneer in their voices.

“…Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him.‘(Matthew 13:54-57).

The danger of ‘See-finish-ism’ is that it blinds us to the treasure that may lie deep within the person involved. We may think we’ve seen it all, but there may be so much more. Your pastor may still have a Word in him that can turn your life around, even though he’s had struggles in his family. Your spouse is God’s gift to you, and his/her prayers over your life can alter your destiny; a word of advice from them can change your fortunes. Even your children-little as they are, yeah you cleaned their messy diapers! – may have something to say or teach you that could be a major blessing.

God can use anybody, remember that!

Don’t write people off just because you know their story!  Jesus’ townsmen did, and what is the conclusion of the matter? They lost out!

‘But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief (Mat 13:57-58. ESV)​

Have a wonderful day!

Oluchi Okafor Ugwunne studied Medicine in the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She is the author of Practical Advice for Girls and A Reason to Hope. Her life’s passion is helping young people discover and fulfill their God given destiny. She is married to her lovely friend and they are blessed with children.

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