The End
What do those words mean? We see them as a movie or book comes to a close, but have we ever really stopped to understand what they imply?
It means that there is nothing else to expect. There is nothing else if we go farther. In fact, if means that we cannot go farther.
How does it make us feel? To hear those words, what emotions run through our mind?
Uncertainty, doubt, fear, confusion, hopelessness?
All of those are emotions that can be deeply stirred when we recognize that we come to the end, but it all depends on what we are coming to the end of. When we come to the end of a good book, we feel satisfaction. When we come to the end of a scary movie, we feel relieved. When we come to the end of a semester of school, we feel the weight of many hours of study being removed from our shoulders. When we come to the end of a work shift, we feel at peace. When we come to the end of a relationship, we feel hurt. When we come to the end of someone’s life, we feel heartache and pain.
What about when we come to the end of ourselves?
We see an example of that with the prodigal son in Luke 15. This young man left cocky and proud, ready to take on the world and conquer it. But it wasn’t long until he realized that life was not always going to go the way that he thought it would. There were hardships. Some of them were brought on by his own decisions. Some of them simply happened. He would eventually find himself sleeping with the hogs, and finally recognizing that going back to his father and living as servant would be better than what he is doing right now–“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ Luke 15:20-22
He came to THE END. The end of his thoughts, his ideas, his plans, his purposes, his dreams, his visions, his hopes. All of that came to an end, and he was willing to be a servant to his father.
Some of us may see his hardships and poor decisions as failings, but I tend to the view them as a necessary release. He needed to release everything that he claimed as his own, so that he could be used by the father. He had to come to the end of himself. Only then would he recognize the beauty of living in his father’s house.
The Lord mocks the mockers
but is gracious to the humble.[c]
35 The wise inherit honor,
but fools are put to shame!
Proverbs 3:34-35
To experience Christ, to live as Christ, we must come to the end of ourselves. We must reach that moment where everything we have ever known or done ceases to be the very central part of our existence. Instead our focus is now upon Him because He is all that we have left. And He is all that we need.
Luke 9:23 tells us that we are to take up our Cross and follow Christ daily.
Galatians 2:20 tells us that we have been crucified with Christ, so it is no longer us who live, but Christ who lives in us!
There is beauty in recognizing that we are powerless–“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3
Challenge:
Today, embrace the idea that you don’t need to fight against God. You don’t need to fight against His plans. You don’t need to prove yourself to Him. You simply need to come to the end of yourself and allow Him to have complete control.
Sit in humility before the Lord, and embrace the grace, wisdom, and love that He offers. You don’t need anything else—1 Peter 5:6-7, “ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
Question:
What do you have in your life right now that is keeping you from experiencing the peace of surrendering completely to Christ?