My daughter was recently reading a book that was set during the Great Depression. There were some rather traumatic experiences that the young girl in the book went through, and my daughter came to me upset saying, “I don’t want to finish reading this book”. I encouraged her to keep reading by telling her that she couldn’t stop in the middle of the story. I urged her to continue reading and told her, “You don’t know how it ends. You have to keep going and find out. There may be some good that comes later in the story, so you have to keep going and find out.” By the time the words had cleared my mouth, they were settling in my heart because of the truth in them. My advice to her was speaking truth to my heart as it reminded me that this was true in life as well.
As many of you already know, I am a fan of the J.R.R. Tolkien’s books and one of my favorite scenes is a speech from the character Sam. “It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was once so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines, it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going because they were holding on to something. That there is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”
Dear heart, it gets hard in the middle of the story. Sometimes we don’t want to keep going; we don’t want to know how it ends. Sometimes it is so painful we get stuck in the middle and struggle with the temptation to give up. If we aren’t careful, we can get stuck in the hard parts; we can get stuck in the middle of the story. If we aren’t careful, we can get lost in the sadness, the grief, or the pain, not realizing how important it is to keep pressing on. Beloved, I know how it feels to feel as if you are drowning in your tears in the middle of the story. I know how it feels to walk through the hard parts of the story and wonder if you will ever make it to the other side. I know how it feels to wonder if there is any good to be found as you struggle in the hard middle.
May I whisper the same words of advice to you that I gave to my daughter? Keep going, my friend. You don’t know how it ends. You have to keep going and find out. There may be some good that comes later in the story, so you have to keep going and find out. In fact, I can assure you that somewhere, somehow, there is still some good up ahead of you. Isaiah 61:1-4 is one of my favorite passages of Scripture and I urge you to pause for a moment and read it for yourself. One of my favorite parts of this passage is the part where God promises to give us beauty in exchange for our ashes. Ashes, the blackened smudge left behind after a fire has destroyed what once was… these are to be exchanged for something beautiful. What a beautiful exchange He offers us!
Dear heart, I don’t know where you are in your story, but if you are in the hard middle, I want to encourage you to keep pressing on. This is not the end of your story; this is not how it ends. Sit for a while. Cry if you must. But don’t stop here. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and take it one day at a time. Keep pressing on and look to Him to walk with you through the valley. You see; this is something I have learned while walking through this hard middle part of the story. I am not alone; He walks with me. Isaiah 41:10 is another favorite verse of mine. “Do not fear; for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand.” Beloved, you are never alone in the hard middle.
Whatever part of the story you may be walking through, rest assured that if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you do not walk alone. He walks with you and is always there to help you. Lean on Him and let Him guide you through. And remember, your story isn’t over, and the best is yet to come. There are still good things to come. God is still working, and you have yet to know how your story will end here on earth. I can, however, tell you how it ends ultimately. Dear heart, the best part of your story is still to come. Some glorious day, you will step into eternity and behold a beauty you cannot even begin to imagine. The most beautiful part of your story is the Savior that awaits you. Someday, beloved, you will look into the face of One who loves you and is waiting to welcome you home.
Until then, keep going, and remember, your story isn’t finished yet.
Katrina Douglas
12/06/2022
