Chapters

 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End"

Revelations 22:13

People close to me seem to be entering different chapters of their lives.  Our new little granddaughter arrived on the same day a dear friend lost his mother.  My nephew graduated from college yesterday, ending his chapter of academia and beginning the chapter of entering the workforce.  A friend will soon be exiting the workforce and moving into retirement.  Each of the chapters in our lives gives us pause for reflection and excitement for the future.

When I think about these chapters that people are ending and beginning around me, it certainly makes me take time to review the chapters of my life.  Have those chapters provided me growth?  Have I learned anything from those chapters?  Do I reflect upon chapters with a smile or with sadness?  I must share, there were some chapters I loved and others that were more difficult.  Entering marriage is a great chapter in people's lives.  Yet, when that chapter ends in divorce, the excitement gives way to heartbreak.  Hearing the words, "I'm pregnant" can be a great source of elation, but when that pregnancy becomes a miscarriage, disappointment and sadness can overwhelm the parents.  Starting a new job can be filled with hope, but hearing the words, “You’ve been laid off” can bring worry and discouragement.

Chapters in our lives can bring much emotion and uncertainty.  We can be happy, sad, anxious, excited, hopeful, discouraged, etc.  All these emotions can be difficult to navigate.  Yet, there is one we can always count on through each chapter of our life, God, the Alpha, and the Omega – the beginning and the end.  God is there not only for each chapter, but for every moment in those chapters.  He is there for the good and the bad.  He is there for the joy and the disappointment.  He is there for the excitement and the discouragement.  During each chapter of our lives, we need to remember who created those chapters for us, who has the ultimate plan.  There have been times that I have not understood why a certain chapter of my life came to be – the chapter of cancer, the chapter of divorce, the chapter of miscarriage.  Yet each of those chapters was entered with faith and love – my faith in God and His love for me.  With faith and love, we can enter and exit any chapter in our lives knowing He will always be there for us – the first and the last, the beginning and the end.  Rejoice in this knowledge and have peace for each chapter!

Dearest Lord, thank you for being my first and my last.  Thank you for being present in each chapter of my life.  With you present in my life, I am certain that whatever chapter comes my way, your love will guide me through.  Amen!