The Parts In Between

I have something to admit. I’ve been watching Game of Thrones. Can’t say I like every aspect of it, but it does have a lot of interesting characters and story lines. Here’s the deal though: lately I find myself not being able to stomach some of what I watch. Yes, I’m partially referring to the blood, guts, and gore, but there’s more to it than that.

I hate that the bad guys always seem to be getting away with being bad. You know what I mean. I haven’t watched it for several days now because the last episode had one of the bad guys getting away with killing someone off because, essentially, they were trying to do the right thing. I realize I’m being a bit simplistic, but it does leave me wondering why I’m so frustrated with the show at times.

I’m a girl who likes a happy ending. What's more, I’m not very patient when the middle parts are yucky and bad things are happening to good people. If I had it my way, I’d also like a happy beginning and middle thrown into the mix. In my post, A Good Story, I write about how I prefer to watch movies where there is mostly happiness going on - think Hallmark Channel movies. Maybe that’s why I’m frustrated with GOT.

The thing about life is we know our happy ending. We know because Jesus told us about it when he lived on this earth. After he ascended into heaven, he appeared to his disciple John and gave him a revelation of that new life - a place where there will be no more death, or crying, or pain. So, I know the ending will be happy, but, in the meanwhile, I hate so many things about the parts in between.

A few weeks ago, there was a horrific accident in a small NE town that we used to call home. Four young high school girls were killed in a gruesome car crash. It left that small-town reeling. These are girls who were only a few years older than my oldest and my heart breaks for the pain and suffering those families, friends and neighbors are dealing with. It seems like in some ways, evil wins.

And maybe on some levels, evil has the upper hand, but that’s when we need to take a closer look at what is really going on. What’s really going on is that we live in a world that doesn’t have particularly happy beginnings and middles, but we have a God who has promised us a happily-ever-after if you will.

When my mom passed away several years ago, my heart was broken. Every day, I missed her and wished I could still reach out and call her.  The deal is, though, she doesn’t miss me. Oh, maybe on some levels she does, but I think she’s happy in the knowledge that we’ll see each other again someday. Meanwhile, she is living out her days in blissful joy - in a place where there is no more death, or crying, or pain. A place with no more messy, middle parts. A place worth calling home.

So, GOT may not always have the happiest of middles and, who knows, I may not even like the ending. But, unlike GOT, the middles we go through in this life have potential to turn into great endings. Keep that in mind and in that knowledge press on.