As I was driving this past weekend, I somehow started thinking about endings. There is so much tied up in that concept – a sense of panic and dread, a sense of relief and release, disappointment and achievement. It’s a time to mourn and a time to celebrate. It’s harder than ever and something that we can hold out and hope for beyond anything else.
I don’t know if you have ever been ready for the end of a season in your life… But I have. You may be on the other end of the spectrum – where you sit dreading the possibility of things ending. But endings are a symbolic part of life – they make you live richer and they are the catalysts for so much beyond. Like any 100-meter sprinting champion would tell you – the end is something they desire with every fiber in their being, but once they reach that end first it is the beginning of a completely different kind of race. For the rest of their lives, their value will lie in how they ended things in their past – it could become the achievement that measures everything else they do if they are not careful.
But life is not a 100-meter sprint. It requires endurance as well. The ability to labour continuously – winding your way towards a checkpoint where you get to rest for a little while and then keep on going. To many, this concept could be seen as depressing. But consider this – as much as you want the ending NOW, a 100-meter athlete only covers a short distance. The question is – how far do you want your life to go? What distance will you cover in your lifetime so that those after you start ahead?
I recently received my Great Grandfather’s Bibles. He was a pastor whose legacy is a tangible part of who I am today. As I get to examine the 80-year-old scribbles of revelation in his crumbling texts, I am so aware of the amount of ground he took so that I could have a head start in life. But what will my legacy be? Will I be able to play my part in pulling this world closer towards the heart of God just as he did?
You may not know God like I do. You may not have a legacy of faith – or you may have even rejected it. But the awesome thing about endings is that with God there is always a new beginning that comes after. Even death isn’t a definitive ending when you have God in your life. Jesus himself came back to life – bringing with him the beginning of the ultimate reality: a relationship with God himself. If you find yourself at the end of your rope; if you feel like everything around you is dying – choose the beginning that will never end. Choose a relationship with your heavenly Father. Click on the link below if you want to find out more.