It all falls apart. It seems to be the end. We didn’t want it to be like this. This isn’t what we prayed for nor what we wanted it to look like. We wanted a different conclusion to the story. We wanted, we longed for, we prayed for something else. And it didn’t happen. It just didn’t happen. We grieve. We grieve what we have lost. We grieve the life that will never be. We grieve the experiences we didn’t create. We grieve what could have been but didn’t. It just seems to be the end.
What if it is a new beginning rather than the end? I’m not suggesting we forget what we lost. I’m not, for a moment, recommending we put the past aside. That is important. Those are lessons and relationships and treasures. It may not be the ending we would have chosen. But we move into the new beginning with the memories. We move into the new beginning with the lessons. We take the treasures with us as we move forward. What if our world is not ending but simply a new beginning.
I often hear people say they would go back in time if they could go back with the knowledge they have now. What if we are given a chance to move forward into a new beginning with the knowledge we have now. What if we are actually given new beginnings that help us to create new memories and have new experiences, with our past as guides. Maybe this is the opportunity we have been waiting for, to start again, to go forward with the experiences we have been given. This may be a whole new beginning.
What will you do with the knowledge you have gained? How do you move forward with the experiences that have helped shape you? What could you do differently as you seek all this new beginning offers? It is incredible to think of all this life still has to offer when we simply want to give up. There are so many new adventures yet to be explored. There are new lessons to learn. There are new friendships and experiences we cannot even begin to imagine. And we get the opportunity to take those, with the wealth of knowledge we have gained through the years. This may not be the end at all…it may just be the beginning we have always dreamed. How will you move forward into the future, beginning today? I can’t wait to see what is ahead!
Focus Scripture:
2 Corinthians 5:17
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery. Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 