All Good Things...
"All good things must come to an end."
I've heard that phrase way too many times in my short nineteen years of existence. Or long nineteen years of existence, depending on the day and my mood. ;)
Someone jokingly asked me at one point this past summer, "Why do all good things have to end?" I didn't really think that much of it. It was a joke; I laughed; we moved on.
But I've been stuck on that a lot lately. I had a pretty fantastic 2014, ya know? I graduated from high school; I made some priceless new friends, and strengthened my relationships with others; I went to Europe; I loved and was loved so very deeply. And, like all good things, 2014 had to come to an end. High school is over. All my fun little road trips are over. The movie nights and Starbucks dates I shared with the friends I love being with so much are over.
And I keep going back to that silly little question: Why? Why do so many of the great things in life have to be so short? Why do vacations have to end? Why do all my friends and I have to go our separate ways again? Why am I struggling to find security and stability in this stage of life? Why do I keep asking questions I know I don't know the answers to? Why am I not getting to the point of this post?
Okay, okay, for real though. Obviously, I cherish 2014's memories, and I am excitedly looking forward to the memories I'll make this year and the new seasons of life that 2015 will bring for me and so many of the people I love. If I told you, though, that I don't hate endings, I'd be lying.
So why do all good things have to end? Well, nothing in this world lasts forever. Which means that good times and joyful moments have to draw to a close. But I am learning that that is not always something that should make me sad. Know why? Because of this little fact right here: Because nothing lasts forever, the good things have to end. But that means that the bad things do too.
For every beautiful, tropical vacation that draws to a close, there will [[at some point in the future]] be a dark, lonely night that also draws to a close. For every bout of side-splitting, breathless laughter that stops ringing, there will be a torrent of salty, bitter tears that stops flowing. For every exciting road trip or adventure that ends, there will be a heartbreaking funeral or illness that ends too. And let me tell you, I have found so much solace in these simple truths.
In this life, everything ends. I can't escape that. I can dwell on the fact that everything good eventually passes away. Or I can rejoice in the fact that nothing bad is going to go on forever.
I choose to let the promise of better days [[and the promise of eternity through Christ's blood and God's grace]] be enough for me.
Because this world will inevitably pass away, and so will everything in it. Including me. When that happens, we will truly know what it is like to experience "all good things," because there is nothing bad in the presence of the Creator. And this time, they will not come to an end.
I've heard that phrase way too many times in my short nineteen years of existence. Or long nineteen years of existence, depending on the day and my mood. ;)
Someone jokingly asked me at one point this past summer, "Why do all good things have to end?" I didn't really think that much of it. It was a joke; I laughed; we moved on.
But I've been stuck on that a lot lately. I had a pretty fantastic 2014, ya know? I graduated from high school; I made some priceless new friends, and strengthened my relationships with others; I went to Europe; I loved and was loved so very deeply. And, like all good things, 2014 had to come to an end. High school is over. All my fun little road trips are over. The movie nights and Starbucks dates I shared with the friends I love being with so much are over.
And I keep going back to that silly little question: Why? Why do so many of the great things in life have to be so short? Why do vacations have to end? Why do all my friends and I have to go our separate ways again? Why am I struggling to find security and stability in this stage of life? Why do I keep asking questions I know I don't know the answers to? Why am I not getting to the point of this post?
Okay, okay, for real though. Obviously, I cherish 2014's memories, and I am excitedly looking forward to the memories I'll make this year and the new seasons of life that 2015 will bring for me and so many of the people I love. If I told you, though, that I don't hate endings, I'd be lying.
So why do all good things have to end? Well, nothing in this world lasts forever. Which means that good times and joyful moments have to draw to a close. But I am learning that that is not always something that should make me sad. Know why? Because of this little fact right here: Because nothing lasts forever, the good things have to end. But that means that the bad things do too.
For every beautiful, tropical vacation that draws to a close, there will [[at some point in the future]] be a dark, lonely night that also draws to a close. For every bout of side-splitting, breathless laughter that stops ringing, there will be a torrent of salty, bitter tears that stops flowing. For every exciting road trip or adventure that ends, there will be a heartbreaking funeral or illness that ends too. And let me tell you, I have found so much solace in these simple truths.
In this life, everything ends. I can't escape that. I can dwell on the fact that everything good eventually passes away. Or I can rejoice in the fact that nothing bad is going to go on forever.
I choose to let the promise of better days [[and the promise of eternity through Christ's blood and God's grace]] be enough for me.
Because this world will inevitably pass away, and so will everything in it. Including me. When that happens, we will truly know what it is like to experience "all good things," because there is nothing bad in the presence of the Creator. And this time, they will not come to an end.
Beautifully put. Now if I were so eloquent with words as you were this would sound like the questionings and ramblings of an old man pushing a former student to always continue learning. I challenge you to examine this concept again with this thought in mind, If all things must have an end, what comes next? What begins anew? What is born from death?
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