In almost every great movie, there comes a point in the show where a person can start to fear that the story they are watching might not have a happy ending. Although we know that almost every movie ends well, it’s easy to get caught sometimes by that pivotal moment when all hope seems lost.
But, if you hang in there, you’ll find that in almost every story line the boy gets the girl, the hero overcomes the peril, the villain gets defeated, and everyone lives happily ever after. It’s why we keep watching… we desperately hold on to the hope of victory.
When Jesus was crucified, his disciples got caught by the trap of a tragic ending. For days they sat in sorrow convinced that the end of their story was one of heartbreak and defeat. Some gave up. Some threw in the towel. Little did they know, however, that the death of Jesus was not the tragic end of the story, but the pivotal moment that turned the whole story around.
As some of you know, my Mom passed away early this morning. She had been in a battle with cancer for almost a year, and today, after many setbacks and difficulties, lots of pain and suffering, the battle finally ended. If you were to make the last few months of this journey into a movie, it would be easy to fear that at this point in the story, this is a tragedy… that somehow God had lost, cancer had won, and that pain, suffering, and death rule the day.
But this fact remains. This is not the end of the story.
In fact, if you stop watching now, if you throw in the towel, you’ll miss the best parts of the movie that is unfolding before our very eyes. What might look like a defeat in death, is actually the moment of victory my Mom and our family had been waiting and praying for for almost 40 years. This is the turning point in the story.
My mom placed her faith and hope in Jesus almost 38 years ago. Why? Because Jesus promised to her, and to every person who would face the darkness of death, that if they would trust Him with their story, death would no longer be the end for them, but that He would add to their story a glorious and exhilarating new scene, and transform their story from a hopeless tragedy into an unending tale of victory and triumph.
And because of this, today is not a day of defeat or mourning for my Mom, or our family. Today is a day of rejoicing and expectation because we know that this is not the end of the story… not for my Mom, and not for us. Because of Jesus, we know how this movie ends… the best parts of this movie are still to come… and if you’ll hold on to hope, and keep on watching, I’m pretty sure you’re gonna like the ending!
Anticipating Heaven more than EVER!
Cory
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