• Which Ending Are You Writing?

    By: Kristen L. McNulty



    Have you ever encountered circumstances that you determined to be the worst possible thing that could of ever happened to you?

    Maybe you lost your job, or you broke up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, or your application to a dream school was rejected, or you sat in a doctors office to listen to a scary diagnosis.

    There are many times in our lives when we face things that at the moment look like the absolute worst things that could of happened. We cry, we beg God, we use phrases like "it's unfair" and "why did this happen to me?" and while that's the normal reaction to tragedy, it's not a place than any of us should stay in.

    Why? Because not only can it turn you into a very bitter, angry person, but there is also an ending being written for your story that you can't see right now. And that ending is probably so much better than anything you could try to picture from this place.

    That was true for the disciples. After giving up their careers and saying goodbye to their families they followed Jesus for years, believing that He was the Messiah that they were waiting for and they made sure that everyone they knew heard this good news.

    But then there's an arrest, a trial, a death sentence. The man who they held up as their king was being lead away to die as a criminal. Any hope they had in a rescue from heaven went up in flames when Jesus breathed His last breath and gave up His spirit.

    Then as we pick up the story in John chapter 20 things get even worse. Some of the woman who followed Jesus arrive at the tomb and when they find it empty they are devastated, believing that someone stole Jesus' body.

    From where they were at that moment in time, they couldn't see a resurrection. No from their vantage point all they could see was a brutal and unjust death, followed by the theft of a body.

    What looked like the greatest disaster, the ultimate letdown of hope, to Jesus' followers was actually the best part in the story. A story of a God who loves His children and sent His own Son to die for their mistakes and then to rise from the grave, all so that they could be united with Him for all of eternity.

    Sometimes the tragic ending we write after disappointment couldn't be further from the actual story of love and redemption that God is writing for us.

    So where does that leave us when we get the call that brings us to our knees? It leaves us in a place where we need to trust the God who is writing the story. It might meaning going through difficult times or moments where we just don't understand, but even in those moments we learn to recognize that while we can't see His goodness at the time, we know that He is there with us and He has no intention of leaving.

    As Isaiah 46:3-4 tells us: "I [God] created you and have cared for you since before you were born. I will be your God throughout your lifetime- until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you." (Isaiah 46:3-4)

    Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.

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