The End of Endings by: Alaina Mankin

 

I hate endings. When my husband and I were first married, I would often binge-watch a television series only to get to the last two episodes and take a break. Sometimes it would be a break we would never come back from. I left the story unfinished because I didn’t want it to end. Endings are just too sad.

     I understand that some things can’t begin unless something else ends. The end of high school makes way for the beginning of college and all the freedoms (and responsibilities) of adulthood. The end of a honeymoon marks the beginning of a marriage. But with some things, there isn’t an after. Sometimes things just end. Period.

I recently returned from my grandmother’s funeral. As we drove through Springfield, IL on our way to the funeral service, I was reminded of many “last times” that I hadn’t realized were “last times” in the moment. I remembered the last time my grandparents sat in their driveway while I caught fireflies and the last time my grandmother took me with her to a garage sale. I thought about our last conversation. If I’d known at the time that I wasn’t going to have another opportunity to talk with her, we would have talked about something else. Something deeper. Something more meaningful. I know many of you could tell a similar story. Everything ends. That’s part of what makes this world so sad.

But for those who trust in Jesus, the end isn’t The End. When Jesus was preparing his disciples for his own ending (the end of one thing, but the beginning of something new), he told them, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12: 24-25, NIV). For the Christian, death is an ending. But it’s also the beginning of something that has no ending. Jesus’ death and resurrection brought an end to many things: an end to the power of sin, an end to death’s victory and the separation between sinful man and a holy God. An end to endings. Like the seed he described to his disciples in John chapter 12, his death put down roots that have sprouted within the hearts of each one of us who chooses to put her trust in Him. Every sprout leads to many more seeds. An endless cycle.

My children came with me to my grandmother’s funeral. During the service, her pastor spoke of the ways my grandmother had served in their church, including her involvement in children’s ministry. As I listened, I remembered one summer, many years ago, when my grandmother shared the gospel with me. But what stuck out in the mind of my five-year old was when her pastor reminded us that “Heaven is not s place for good people, but for forgiven people.” My son asked me about that as we drove home, and I shared the gospel with him. The seed continues.