“The End of the Story”
Have you ever watched a recording of your favorite football team knowing the final score? As much as I love sports, I could probably count on one hand the times I’ve watched a game where the outcome has already been revealed to me.
Knowing how things (anything) end, changes the way a person thinks. Their tension goes down because the end of the story has been revealed. When you don’t have to wonder if things will turn out badly, it affects your perspective and your attitude.
This is why believers in Christ grieve differently from the rest of the world. It doesn’t mean we don’t hurt or feel sad. When believers lose family members or friends who are also believers, they grieve because they miss the person who is gone, but they also know they are in a far better place – heaven. With God, FOREVER.
The pain of loss is real, but the hope of seeing a loved one again is also real. In a sense, we grieve for ourselves because we have to find a way forward without them. But we grieve without fear because we know the end of the story. One day, we will join them in heaven and celebrate with a wonderful reunion.
You can have hope, even when there is loss. How? You’ve got to get a bigger picture and a longer view. You have to refocus your attention. You’ve got to stop thinking about just the here-and-now and start living as if there is much more to your story – because there is. This life is not all there is! Jesus said, “He’s going to prepare a place for us…”(John 14:1-6).
Don’t forget: You know how the story ends. The “end” is really the beginning – of spending eternity with Christ in heaven and with loved ones and friends and friends who have gone before you. The Living Bible paraphrase says, “So we do not look at what we see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Pastor Carnes
