The Beginning and the End

Musing on Starts and Endings

We have all heard the phrase "Every ending is just the beginning of something else." It's amazing to see how true that statement is. And yet, today as my sophomore year of college begins, I can't help but notice that the reverse is true as well. Every beginning is also the ending of something else.

This is not a bad thing. Even though we as humans struggle to accept change, we would never grow without it. Without the start of learning, there would be no end of ignorance. Without the start of a relationship, there would be no end of singlehood. Without the start of a family, there would be no end to loneliness. Without the start of a school year, there would be no end to summer.

I can't help but think of the cross-- the cross of Jesus. The cross was the start of grace and the fulfillment and ending of the law. The cross was the start of life eternal and the end of death. And here is where I am most convicted: the cross was the beginning of me as a new creation and the end of the rule of the old flesh. When we are baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are displaying our death to sin and our new life in Christ.

But, how easy it is to forget that we have been changed! When my life as a Christ-follower began, nothing seemed more natural than leaving my self behind and striving to please Him. I was dead and then alive again..how incredible! Yet as time goes by, something of that bent toward God becomes bent against Him despite the change in our hearts. If we are not careful to stay close to the Source of our life, we wander closer and closer to the sin and spiritual deadness we were saved from.

Today, as I head off to my first class of the semester, I hope I do not forget that every start is an ending and every ending is a start. As I lose myself, I gain the Lord Jesus. As I wave goodbye to selfish sin and pride, I am made ready to greet the Savior who welcomes me. As I look back to the completion of my first year of college, I step into my second--with a clean slate in front of me and a powerful Redeemer walking right next to me. I tend to hate endings...but I just need to remember that in every ending, there is a better beginning just around the bend.

Blessings to all of you today! ~