A beautiful ending

What do we do when we feel like the pre-prince Cinderella? What if we – the protagonists in our respective stories – feel under-appreciated, forgotten, underemployed, tired, hopeless, or unimportant? (Or am I the only one who has these moments, these days…these seasons?)

As I struggle with places in my storyline that are less than inspiring to me, and as one who seems to want and need significance, in relationships and vocation, almost more than anything else, I cry out to God for His wisdom and His reassurance that I’m not off the path of His good pleasure and His providence for my life.

This week, and always, He reassures me with Himself. With His loving heart toward me…because all my sins have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ. That’s all that really matters. I don’t have to strive or worry or be afraid. I’m in His will if I’m resting in His sovereignty, and in my forgiven place, as a redeemed, loved child of my Maker.

Yet, what about my story? What if I screw it up? Well, I already have, and continue to at times, despite the fact that I earnestly don’t want to. But this is an amazing piece of what God does... He takes the things we, and others, mess up, and redeems them, crafting them into exquisitely beautiful stories – despite our mistakes and despite the harm from this world. But the best is yet to come...

Barlow Girl has a gorgeous song called Beautiful Ending which asks: “So tell me, what is our ending? Will it be beautiful, so beautiful?” The sister trio sings: “At the end of it all I wanna be in Your arms.” That’s the ending of my story. I’ll be safely in His arms!

When your story – when my story – feels ordinary, is a lot of work, or is filled with seemingly unbearable grief, as some of you are experiencing, take heart: the ending will be glorious. We are not forgotten or lost or hopelessly off-track in the mess of this life. In fact He is using the sad, lonely, harmful stuff of our lives to write a more beautiful ending. An ending which will make our hearts soar as never before.

My story on this earth is still being written. Some times are remarkable, like my trip to Cameroon in January and February. Some times are ordinary and my destiny feels forgotten, like this week. But the ending is known. It is glorious. If I abide in Christ, He has already written the end of my story on this earth, and it will be beautiful. I will be in His arms.