The end is in sight . . . where are you?

Rev Paul Damasane
WHILE one John Bingham says, “The miracle isn’t that I have finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start as I watched the Soweto Marathon last Sunday I saw the truthfulness of the scripture in Ecclesiastes 7 verses 8 to 10 which reads, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.” The marathon was an interesting sport event to watch, so exciting it was that I was almost late for Church but I treasured the lessons learnt therein.

The year is getting to the end. We were all there on the 1st of January 2014, blowing the whistles and fire crackers with joy; it was a miracle we celebrated and thanked God for. But the reality is having gone these days now what does the end have for you? What have you achieved? Better is the end than the beginning! What I noticed in the winners of the marathon is that they did not just get into it for the fun but they looked at the prize to get at the end.

They then were consistent. To me they were not the heavy bloated potbellied junk food eaters like many of us. They were well toned and focused. Their pace throughout the 10, 21 or 42 kilometres was strong and well managed. They wanted to win and they did. Such is the walk we have in the year. We need to ask ourselves if the end we are approaching is the finishing line of our race. Perhaps you are mindful of opportunities that you have missed or mistakes that you have made. Regrets sting. Many people question whether or not the end is really better than the beginning was. The verse I quoted from Ecclesiastes can help take the sting out of your regrets of the past. So many people say, “My, how time flies! I wish I had this year over! I would love to fix this or that.” Yet if you will seriously think about this statement, you probably don’t mean it. Ecclesiastes 7:10 says, “Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.” It is not wise to wish to go back in time. Be like that ship’s captain for a moment. Would you really like to relive the storms of 2014? Maybe you have undergone some physical storms, would you really like to hear the doctor give you the bad news again? Or perhaps your struggles were spiritual. Think of it.

James says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.” God has used the events of 2014, even our failures, to help us grow. If you think about it, the end of 2014 is better than its beginning and we truly would not like to go back and live it all over again. We are freed from our past.

Second, this verse can calm your fears of the future. Some people look at the beginning and ask, will the end really be any better? Maybe you know the storms of 2014 and you are afraid of what the storms of 2015 will bring. Will I be able to bear up under it? Remember that no matter how bad the beginning is, the end is always better. Many Christians have more trials early in their Christian walk rather than late. And all of us are growing in our Christian walk. Lamentations 3:27 says, “It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth.” If you wake up in the morning and the sun is behind the clouds, you do not assume that the sun will never shine again. It’s like a girl who saw an eclipse of the sun. She asked her daddy, “Why did the sun go out?” That’s understandable for a child, but an adult knows that the sun will shine again. If you are in a dark period of your life, don’t despair, the sun will shine again. Take this verse as a prophecy to give you hope and dispel your fears. The end of the matter will be better than the beginning. God is still in charge. He promised Israel through the prophet Jeremiah “For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

God has a plan for you, even in this dark time. Think about the story of Joseph. He is sold into slavery by his own brothers, falsely accused and thrown in prison. It was his darkest moment. Yet he could never have risen to his high position of power in Egypt if he had not gone to prison. We must stoop to conquer and like gold we must be refined in the fire before we can truly shine. If you are in a dark moment and dreading the future, take heart from this verse for the end of a thing is better than its beginning. Third I want to encourage our faith. We’ve looked at our past and our future, but this verse can also encourage us as we face the pains of the present. The spirit of our time says that we should get it now and do it now. It cries out for instant satisfaction. But God says that we should rather wait for His time in the matter.
You are all familiar with the verse from Isaiah, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” It is in waiting that we learn to rely on God and trust Him. If you are struggling to hang on to your faith this morning, take heart! The end will be better and it is worth waiting for. Paul said in Romans 8:18 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” You will make it and win. Before 2014 leaves us forever, I pray that God will touch your heart and cause you to obey Him that we may say the end of 2014 was better than its beginning. The past is history, the future’s a mystery, but God has given us this moment, that’s why it’s called the present. Shalom!