Finishing Well

“All’s well that ends well.” So said Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon. And we desperately want it to be so. To end well and be happy.

In just a few days, the moment high school seniors have anticipated for months will arrive: Graduation. Caps and gowns. Diplomas. Smiles. Pictures. A time for happy endings.

Despite it being a time of celebration, some will be disappointed. They expected, hoped and planned to graduate, but at the last minute came up short. Maybe it was an assignment, a grade or a credit short—the reason doesn’t matter. They didn’t make it.

However, even those who “made it” are in for a surprise. Happiness fades. The spotlight moves to someone else. The daily grind resumes and life returns to normal.

If all you do is live for the moment, it’s gone in a flash. And a mountaintop high can suddenly become a Death Valley low. Talk about a roller coaster life!

“Well hold on just a minute,” you say. “What’s wrong with living for the moment or pursuing happiness? Doesn’t anyone pursuing happiness in this life ever catch it?” Sometimes.

But happiness is as fragile and fleeting as Bob Lind’s, “Elusive Butterfly.” Did you ever hear that song? It was one of my favorites in high school. Chasing love or chasing happiness—both seem to escape us when we desperately want them the most.

The truth is this: Life lets you down. It disappoints everyone. On the carousel of life, even if you get the brass ring, it’s tarnished.

It’s only when we get to know the God of the Bible that life begins to make sense.

God’s Word tells us the truth about life. That even good people experience difficulty. It says, “A righteous man may have many troubles but the Lord delivers him from them all.” Then it adds, “Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.”

What makes it possible to bounce back? A right relationship with God through faith in Christ.

The Bible says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” That truth encourages us.

It doesn’t say that God works good into all things. It says he works all things together for the good of those who love him. A right relationship with God results in finishing well.

The journey may be difficult, but you can finish well if you trust in Christ. Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished through his life and death, those that believe in him will not be caught “a credit short” when it’s time to graduate from this life to the next.

When your life is over, what will you find on the other side? Many see no reason for faith in God. They gamble their eternal destiny for a few moments of brief pleasure in this world.

Instead of that approach, consider Pascal’s wager.

The great scientist, mathematician and philosopher reasoned, “If I am wrong about God existing, then neither of us would even know it, because we would both die and cease to exist, and all consciousness would disappear. But, on the other hand, if I am right and you are wrong, when we both die, I will go to heaven, and you will go to hell. Now, it seems to me that any intelligent person would bet on the right side of that wager.”

Consider the future. We’ll all be dead much longer than we live on this planet. That’s a sure thing. And when you run the numbers, wisdom says to plan ahead for eternity.

Will you finish well? All’s well that ends well--in heaven!

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!