Not The End.

As humans, we tend to write “The End” on the stories that God is simply turning a new chapter on.

Lazarus is dead? Wrap him in grave clothes and seal the tomb.

That man is full of the devil and destructive to others? Let Legion rot in his misery by himself in the caves.

That woman has had five husbands and is with a man she isn’t married to? Leave her in her shame. The lonely life she now lives is only her fault after all.

Jesus died on the cross? Hide in fear and return to your old way of life.

In each of these stories, people decided that God was done, that the sin, shame, and death surrounding these people were the finale of their stories.

It makes sense. Humanity can’t overcome death. We can’t set a man free or give restoration in place of a woman’s shame. But when we close the book, we forget that God does things we cannot.

It’s a simple thought, but true. When we reach the end, God is just beginning. When we see hopelessness, He sees opportunity. When we see death, He sees life.

Today, I pray for eyes that see what could be rather than what is. When I see the addict, I pray I also see hope for freedom. When I see someone wrapped up in sin and shame, I pray I also see the chance for redemption. When I see the broken, the hurting, the lost, may I also see what Jesus sees, someone who He can give new life.

I don’t want to write off the people God wants to redeem. I want to be the one He uses to write their next chapter.