Reading the Last Chapter First

I heard the funniest thing once. I was talking to a friend about books and she told me that she always reads the very end before she starts the book! Now, I don't do things that way. I would be very interested to find out how many people do that. (Hint: That's what the comment area is for... let me know!) Don't get me wrong, I understand why some people might like to read the last chapter first. It gives us a sense of security that there is a satisfactory "happily ever after" back there somewhere. Our favorite character doesn't die. The guy gets the right girl. The ring is destroyed. Whatever. We know it all works out in the end.

All the same, I still don't do that. Why?
I was thinking about that, and here's what I came up with.

How boring would that be??

If I know how it ends, why bother reading the rest in the first place? It's NOT knowing what happens that keeps me picking the book up every night and staying up till all-hours to finish it. It's NOT knowing that makes me sit on the edge of my seat squealing when something totally off-the-wall happens. And it was not knowing that makes me sit back and sigh in a satisfied way when I find out how it ends. There's something thrilling about wondering. If we knew Jack lived, when he suddenly falls of a cliff, we wouldn't be worried. Somehow, we know he lives, because we read the end.
The reason we can enjoy all the thrill, is because we know that there's some faceless (though usually not nameless), all-powerful author somewhere, who planned it all out beforehand, and has woven a story just right. We may not know what happens to who, but if we trust that we've picked a good author (or what our friends have said), we know that it will all work out into an exciting, good story.

So what about life?

I don't know what's happening in my future, anymore than I know what happens at the end of a book I haven't finished. Sometimes, I just want to skip ahead and see what happens. I want to know it all works out right. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. We all want the security of knowing that there's a happy ending somewhere in there. But again, let me repeat.

How boring would that be??

I started realizing that if I knew how everything was going to end, there would be no reason to do hard things. I would try to skip all the boring stuff. And there would be no reason to trust God. There's be no thrill of wondering what awesome things He has in store. Rather than wish we knew, we ought to be excited, on the edge of our seat, moving forward, to see the great plans He has. Sometimes off the wall, scary, wacky things happen in our lives. Sometimes things don't seem right. Sometimes it looks like the bad guy will win, the guy WON'T get the right girl, the good guys won't win, insert what you are afraid of here.

But here's the thing. As Christians, we can trust the Author. All those things that don't seem right are just part of weaving the best story. Because our Author is the best, we can trust that all things will work together for good of those who love God and are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). And there is an awesome happy ending waiting on the other side of whatever He has. We are part of a good story, with a good Author.

Okay, so what's the point?

God has good plans for you. God has good plans for me. We can't see the end, but that just makes the journey more exciting. If we trust Him, we can move forward with anticipation; we can love where we are, and look forward to what is coming with great expectations. If we trust Him, we can live our life to the fullest.

So, rather than worry, it's time to ask God:

"What's next?"