I understand that there’s not always a happily-ever-after. I want there to be a happily-ever-after. As believers in Jesus we know that there is something to look forward to once we’ve shed this mortal coil, but while there’s still breath in these lungs, it’s not always easy going. For some it’s a dreaded disease; for others it’s a lost loved one; or a child with a disability; maybe a car accident that robs you of a sporting career, or just a struggle to make ends meet while people around you seem to prosper. This is just how it goes sometimes. God is gracious, no doubt, and we can get the strength to move on despite what life seems to throw at us. It doesn’t happen overnight and it almost always takes longer than we’d like it to, but it seems to work out. Maybe we just make peace with where we’re at and learn to live with things, or maybe we have a total attitude shift that makes our situations bearable. I immediately think of Jesus’ words. In John chapter 10 verse 7 – 10, Jesus reminds us that the thief comes to steal and to destroy. I don’t like this. It often fills me with fear and I’m suspicious of everyone and want to sleep with 1 eye open. But Jesus follows it up with a ‘but’ that should see me change my behavior:
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
I’ve come to realize that God has my back and I don’t need to be afraid, but I’ve also realize the big one, the elephant in the room; that the life I expect and the life God has on offer for me, are seldom the same thing. What we want and what God knows we need are almost NEVER congruent. Even if we have really selfless intentions, God has a way of showing us up. We actually have very little control over what our life-story will look like. We are responsible for the little details (with God watching on very closely) and God has the pages of our individual books open and has the big things carefully sorted too.
It’s time to surrender completely to Him. Let Him take care of your sin and shame and guilt. Let him take control of the ‘where’, ‘what’ and ‘who’ and watch how he bypasses our idea of happily-ever-after, and replaces it with something far more meaningful: joyful-till-it’s-over and THEN, the reward of forever with Him!
