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“We must not grow weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not give up” Galatians (6:9).
I often get discouraged on trails in Colorado. My borderline out-of-shape body struggles for air and my legs feel like someone attached lead weights to them. “I can’t do this,” I whine to my husband.
In the novel The Two Towers, Sam tells Frodo about brave old tales shortly before they enter Shelob’s lair: “But I expect that they had lots of chances like us, of turning back, only they didn’t.” Later in the conversation, Frodo observes, “And that’s the way of a real tale. Take any one that you’re fond of. You may know, or guess, what kind of tale it is, happy-ending or sad-ending, but the people in it don’t know. And you don’t want them to… You and I, Sam are still stuck in the worst places of the story, and it is all too likely that some will say at this point: ‘Shut the book now, dad; we don’t want to read anymore.’ ”
Sometimes as we travel with the Father we find ourselves in the midst of a difficult chapter in our lives. Some of the harder chapters have included isolation during Covid-19 and depression. However, for me, the worst chapters are ones where the people I love are struggling or being attacked from seen or unseen enemies. So many times, mired in the worst place, I see no way through my story. I want to turn back. I don’t want to read anymore.
But then I think about what it would have been like to be in the middle of the Bible stories. We know how the stories end, so it colors how we read them. For just a minute, pretend you don’t know how the stories end and you are actually living these stories:
Moses, having been sent by God, journeys to see Pharaoh. Instead of letting the Israelites go, Pharaoh makes their lives even more miserable than before (Exod. 5). I think about David running for his life from Saul. Many of the Psalms describe David’s feelings of hopelessness in the middle of his circumstances.
What about Nehemiah trying to rebuild the temple? I wonder how he felt when half the people had to stop building to stand attired for battle—ready if their enemies should attack. What about when he discovered how badly the Jews were treating each other? (Neh. 5)
And let’s not forget about Mary, the mother of Jesus. I have read the nativity narrative so many times that I forget the stares, whispers and condemnation she must have endured when her village discovered her with child and without a consummated marriage.
We gloss over the details because we know the end of the story.
If you find yourself in the middle of a crisis, and you feel weary and discouraged, don’t despair. Re-familiarize yourself with the stories in Scripture and note that the God of the beginning and the end—the Alpha and the Omega—also reigns supreme in the middle.
Maybe you are in the middle of a happy story. Look for someone who is struggling in the middle of theirs and reach out.
Remember, God walks with us on the journey. Keep walking (or reading) until you reach the end!
Dear God,
So many of us are walking through hard parts in our stories right now. You are Alpha and Omega and God of everything in between. Help us to press on until we reach the end!
Amen