The Spoiler

Most people would say that I have confident and established social skills... but I have been known to block my ears, yell 'STOP' directly at the person speaking, and then rudely run out of a room, just to save myself from having the end of a novel/film/series spoiled. I hate spoilers. Seriously. And I will go to any length to avoid them where possible, even if I disgrace myself socially. I have even taught my kids to endure long stories and audio books just to experience the satisfaction of finding out what happens in the end after patiently waiting and waiting and waiting. It's not always overly enjoyable for us parents (especially when we are stuck in a car on a long car trip and they are begging us to know what happens in the end) but I count this as a necessary life lesson. You'll thank me one day, kids!

But there is one story that I am quite happy to spoil the end of and tell over and over to my children. And that's the story of our lives. As we flip through, page by page, some chapters are hilariously fabulous while others are full of desperate struggle. Some are miserably mundane, but others contain exciting milestones such as marriage, the birth of a child, a big move, or a new and exciting job. Some are scary and filled with suspense such as a day we get a diagnosis or a loved one dies. And others, like the current one we are in, are completely unknown and filled with more questions than answers. Our stories are woven together with many threads, including joy, worry, struggle, happiness, and - since we literally don't know what will happen tomorrow - the great unknown.

But what if we did know the ending? Would that change how we read the suspenseful chapter that we are in right now? How would we interpret those pages that are filled with worry or struggle?

As people who believe, we do actually know the ending to our story. Jesus himself tells us the plot : we will have trouble in this world, but He has overcome the world! There will be chapters of pain and heartbreak because we live in a big, broken, messy world. But then He flips to the last chapter because He wants us to know that in the end, He will take away everything that makes us sad, scared, or defeated. We can't see the fullness of eternity yet, but we can cling to the truth that once and for all, God will restore all brokenness, and as children of God, we will be restored too. Whilst we might be crying tears of sadness today, or scrolling through pages of news with an anxious heart, God tells us that this will not be our reality for all our days - that there will come a time when "He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever" (Revelation 21:4 NLT). Knowing the ending of God's story gives us something to cling to, hold to, stand on, when everything else feels like sinking sand.

"Without hope for heaven, our lives are limp and empty. But we have the Bible's promise that God will one day restore planet earth to the full flourishing it was intended to have, will restore the works of human minds and hands to again give glory to him alone, and will restore human relationships with others and with himself to their fullest expression. Creation will again sing with the harmony of shalom, the way things are supposed to be. This is how we understand how and why we are alive, why we do the things we do, why we know sorrow and joy in this age. Someday God will wipe every tear from our eyes and unveil the boundless glory of all that he has made. This is the promise of heaven. This is the hope of our lives."*

There is zero reason why we need to ignore the ending of this Great Story and be consumed by the suffering and suspense of our current days. We know the ending, and that knowledge can bring us hope for our days ahead. We need to be the 'spoiler' and tell our families and ourselves that it is all going to turn out okay. It might get worse before it gets better, but it is going to be okay. And not just okay, but wonderfully brilliant. This is a GOOD NEWS STORY, not a thriller with a bad ending. Thank God.

But we also need to remind ourselves that our current lives and the things that make up our existence are not just temporary distractions which we need to just deal with. No, all of these things - such as the earth, our bodies, human culture, and our relationships - are a sneak preview of heaven. A real heaven, not a heaven floating idly by in the clouds. Just like all of the very best novels and films, what we see before us is being cleverly woven into the grand crescendo. The ending of this story is already unfolding. So let's start telling people - it is definitely a story worth spoiling the end of. And coming from me (the spoiler-hater), that must mean something!

*Quote from "Bringing Heaven Down To Earth" by Nathan Beirma.