“The end,” the story says. To successfully conclude the plot of a story, you must wrap up the loose ends. At the end of a person’s life, there is a service to conclude their time on earth.
When you get sick, one of the first questions you ask the doctor is “when will I will be better?”
After a tragedy occurs, there is a point in which restitution is expected, a point at which an “end” is reached: the check arrives, the new house is moved into, the perpetrator goes to jail.
This looking to an end shows it’s in our nature to desire closure.
We all want a happy ending. But this broken world has proven time after time that we might not get a happy ending- and we don’t like that!
Even as Christians, we tend to dismiss the idea of leaving loose ends, never receiving that apology or forgiveness, or accepting that some actions will never be made right.
In a way, that’s wrong. In another way, it’s very right.
[bctt tweet=”God doesn’t promise happy endings in (this) lifetime.” username=”PatHolbrook @BethanyMcIlrath”]
God never says we’ll get our desired explanations for why an illness is both chronic and untreatable, or why a crime goes unsolved. Or why the wicked prosper. Or why the steadfast suffer needlessly. Or why hurricanes wipe out whole countries.
But we’re still to have faith.
“These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised” Hebrews 11:39
Moses died without entering the promised land. Isaiah died without watching the Savior who he so often spoke of. There were many others who didn’t meet happy endings – like the disciples, who were martyred!
Yet like these heroes of the faith, you and I can face the many unclosed doors, loose threads, and “never-seem-to-ends” of life by faith.
We can place our hope in the one “happily ever after” that we can count on: Christ’s.
[bctt tweet=”We can place our hope in the one “happily ever after” that we can count on: Christ’s.” username=”PatHolbrook @bethanymcilrath”]
That’s where we get it right when we remind those hurting, suffering, and struggling with closure that it will come and it will be okay. Maybe not now. Possibly (in some cases probably) not even on this earth. But looking toward the “the end” of eternity, we can humbly live out Psalm 131:
“My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.Israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and forevermore.”
Humbly, without closure, we can accept that we don’t need a resolution to live by faith. We can recognize that some things are bigger than we can understand –and that includes the “how” and “when” of God working all things wonderfully for good.
Our hope isn’t in a chance of circumstance, an answer, or any other “ending.”
“Have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf” Hebrews 6:19-20
Our hope can be in the Lord now –even without closure- and in the forevermore –in which all is made right.
{A version of this post was previously published here}
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Bethany, may we trust that God is good, and therefore, all He does is good. Not always easy, but somehow He fills our hearts with His peace and comfort and that in itself, brings us to the place of leaving it in His hands.
Amen, Joanne. He is and he does!
This is a truth we need to cling to. There won’t always be closure in our lifetimes–maybe not at all on this earth. But God doesn’t leave loose ends. He knows, and He’ll take care of anything that needs taking care of in His own time and way.
Thank you, Barbara! God doesn’t leave loose ends, amen. We can trust him and his timing!
This is so good, Bethany. I do like closure, but I need to know my closure is in God, not in my circumstances. “Humbly, without closure, we can accept that we don’t need a resolution to live by faith.” Yes!
I like closure too, Lisa! So glad we can find what we need in him!
Hope is in eternity. Sometimes it is hard to wrap our minds around that but you have done an elegant job of doing just that, Bethany!
Thank you for your encouragement, Lynn!
Bethany, without an eternal perspective this life won’t make sense, neither will God’s promises. Those who don’t know Christ live without the hope that carries us through the confusion of this life. You know I love Hebrews 11, especially verses 13, 14, 39, and 40 which remind us that our story is only a small part of His story. Won’t it be wonderful when we can look back and finally see how He brought it all together? Thank you for anchoring us to our precious Hope.
Yay for connecting this with Hebrews 11, thank you Debbie!!
Oh Bethany … I’ve been listening to Colin Smith preach from Deuteronomy 29:29–“the secret things belong to the Lord”—and this post fits right in with that. You know me … I’ve always wanted to know how the story ends before it even starts. I’m learning to “calm and quiet myself” with the truth that God will make everything right in the end and that He will be with me until that happens. One day at a time … 🙂
Oo, that sounds like a great message!! Yes, right there with you as usual, trying not to get so stuck on the end that I miss today! May we be calm and quiet in him!
That verse from Hebrews can be a tough one. But it really tests our faith. Are we with God simply for Him? Or what He can do for us?
Such convicting questions! Isn’t it great he loves us because he loves us and not because of what we can do for him?
It’s so important to put our hope in eternity rather than in all the loose ends being tied up here on earth.
Amen, Lesley! Glad to see you here!
Thank you for hosting each week. I’ve shared your party on Twitter since you made it so easy for us to do so!
Thanks for joining and sharing!
Powerful words, Bethany. This is good insight and truth: “Humbly, without closure, we can accept that we don’t need a resolution to live by faith. ” Living by faith is really living without having all the answers and resolutions. Just like Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the evidence of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.” ESV