Necessary Endings

When we come to the end of a calendar year, we naturally think about endings. Of course, there are many calendars depending upon your religion, culture, and business. Some calendars push employees into a tizzy around the end of June or August. Years ago, articles appeared in some media discussing the Mayan calendar and how the end of 2012 could be the culmination of life on earth. I wonder, why should we trust the calendar from a civilization that no longer exists? Some theories state it was missionaries that attached doomsday to a projected date in the Mayan calendar. We all seem to be experts at connecting our own perspectives to dates.

The finality of things isn’t all bad. It can be a time of hope and rejoicing. The end of a major project can be a relief. I don’t regret the end of some previous periods in my life. I can actually anticipate the future of weeds, pests, wars, debts, pain, loss of loved ones. Everything as we know it must eventually come to a close. That’s life here. And endings usually result in a new phase, a new normal, a chance for change or opportunity. Even hopelessness can be the rock bottom where one gets the motivation for making a change. I believe the angels rejoice when God’s children reach a state of despair in their own efforts to fix their lives or become “good.” Redemption.

Accepting Realities

Endings are necessary, and knowing how to prepare for one takes some skill and understanding. For this day, week and year, I intend, with God’s help, to more gracefully accept some realities:

Life isn’t fair.
I can’t control much.
People won’t always treat me the way I would treat them.
Endings are necessary.

To do otherwise is to stay stuck, to wither, to perish.

(For more reading on this topic, I recommend a book by this title from Dr. Henry Cloud, Harper, 2010.)

Questions for personal journaling or group discussion:

1. What endings have I been avoiding? Of what am I afraid?

2. What is the difference between hoping and wishing?

If you liked this, you might also enjoy Alpha and Omega | Four Reasons Why Endings Can Make You Happier

Karen Spruill writes from Orlando, Florida.

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