And She Lived Victoriously and Joyfully Ever After!
If I have an addiction in life … it is to the written word.
That’s right … I read absolutely everything that I can lay my hands on.
(It’s actually everything that I can lay my eyes on but let’s not quibble over body parts here.)
I read new children’s books and classic literature.
I devour biographies and gobble up historical fiction.
I am captivated by theological volumes and can’t put down self-help books.
I am addicted to devotionals, commentaries and even antiquated novels.
However – I must tell you. There is a disclaimer here … so get ready for a confession.
I always read the last chapter first. Always.
Now, before you groan and throw rotten tomatoes at me, let me explain my thought processes to you.
I don’t want to waste my time reading a book that doesn’t end well or that is filled with illogical and unacceptable conclusions.
I only have so much time in a given day to drink from the books that satisfy my thirsty soul and so I selectively choose to read published works that come to a well-written, Biblically sound, and victorious completion.
You can roll your eyes at me if you would like to do so … but this method of “knowing the end before the beginning” works for me.
It simply works.
And, the truth is … this is exactly what we all desire in our individual lives as well.
We all yearn for our lives to come to a satisfying and peaceful conclusion.
Deep within each one of us, we long for our lives and for our circumstances at long last … to reach that “happily ever after” attainment … that seems only to work in fairy tales.
Certainly not one of us hanker for a tragic ending … or for an incomplete life … or for a worst-case scenario!
We all deeply desire that our prayers are answered, that our battles end in victory and that peace has the final word.
When you know the Creator of the universe, the Savior of the World and the power of the Holy Spirit, I have some too good to be true news for you!
All of our life’s events are going to be better than “happily ever after …”
You might naively wonder, “What in the world could be better than happily ever after?”
When God writes your story, every conundrum and each challenge in life is going to wrap up with the exclamatory reality, “And they lived victoriously and joyfully ever after!”
How is THAT for too-good-to-be-true news?!
Now … I don’t want to give you a spoiler here but I must.
I absolutely must put you out of your life-long suspense. Here comes the spoiler …
Are you ready? We are going to read the very last chapter of your life … here we go … this is how it reads …
Everything is going to be okay!
Everything is actually going to be better than okay … it’s going to be great!
How do I know that?
I know that because when you allow God to write your story – He always writes a happy ending.
He types - with indelible ink - victorious, joyful, and hopeful conclusions to all our stories!
Hallelujah!
“Of one thing I am perfectly sure: God’s story never ends with ‘ashes.’”
– Elisabeth Elliot
“And they lived victoriously and joyfully ever after …” is not a phantom dream but it can be a reality in all our lives.
However … there is a key variable that shifts this phrase from a wish to a guarantee.
“When you allow God to write your story …”
I have come to the realization that God is a much better author than I am … and I must partner with Him in the unfolding of my life story.
There are people, situations and events over which I have no control, and I must give each one of those difficulties to Him.
I must allow His goodness to deal with each fractious person, with each volatile situation and with each unwanted event.
I must resist the urge for revenge and for bitterness and I must allow Him to fight for me.
In case you didn’t know it … He is much better at fighting and at winning than I am or than you are.
We can fight on our own terms if that’s what we insist upon … but victory is not a guarantee in the self-fought scenario.
Victory is only guaranteed when you allow the Lord to fight your battles!
It is His delight to lead you in triumph - but you must allow Him to do the leading while you do the following.
“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” – II Corinthians 2:14
The more that I demand my own way … the more that He will sit back and let me have my own way.
When I tell God what I think He should do … I have a suspicion that He sits back with a knowing smile on His grand face and says, “Well … let’s see how that works for you.”
And invariably, it doesn’t. My ideas generally don’t work.
Father really does know best.
I never have had a better idea than God. Never. Not in over 6 decades of living have I found myself even one time to be as smart as or as wise as my Father.
He is the expert at brilliant, innovative, creative solutions to all my life’s problems.
Someone, much more brilliant and wise than I will ever be, has said, “If it’s not good, it’s not over.”
He has been to my future, and it is good because He is good!
He is already there, in all of my future days yet to be lived, writing my story with words of victory, with sentences of hope and with the exclamation point of joy!
His conclusion for all my life’s events end with the words, “And she lived victoriously and joyfully ever after!”
Thanks for listening to my heart this week. As you know by now, my heart is truly not a perfect heart but it is a heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude for the life I have been given and for the people who walk with me. And, it continues to be a heart that is relentlessly chasing after God and all that He is!
Significant Women Podcast - Episode 33
Worship Is a Weapon with Rachel Hauck
As you already know, I am a fan of Christian fiction, and as a believer in Jesus Christ, I am compelled to support those authors and artists who are creating God-honoring content in a broken culture. My guest today is bestselling author Rachel Hauck who has been penning heartwarming and inspiring Christian Fiction for nearly thirty years. She’s just released a novel that takes us back to the 80s! Lean in and listen as we get to know her.
Join us for the Stormproof Bible Study from September 10 to October 15, meeting weekly at 7:00 pm Central/8:00 pm Eastern via Zoom. Whether you attend live or watch the replay, this study will guide you through the storms of life by examining key biblical storms and extracting powerful life lessons. Led by Carol McLeod, you'll discover how to navigate life's fiercest gales with faith, courage, and resilience. Equip yourself with the practical wisdom and hope found in God's Word to become a voice of hope in the midst of any storm.