Once Upon A Time . . .

I love a really good story. The Lord of the Rings and the Star Wars movies (episodes 4-6) are some of my favorites, because they tell such a compelling and gripping story through a beautifully written trilogy. I love to look at each work as a whole, but if I had to pick out one part of the series that was my favorite, both The Two Towers (the second book) and The Empire Strikes Back (the second movie), would be it. It seems a little sadistic because in both cases, the second book and movie end with the heroes and heroines in their darkest hours. The dreams birthed in their hearts at the beginning of their adventurous journeys have met with resistance, strong resistance, and at the end of Book/Movie 2, it seems as if all hope is lost.

I guess the reason I love the middle of these stories so much is because as the reader, we realize that all hope is not lost. We may not know all the details, but we know that there's another book to be read, another movie to be seen, and that somehow, the author that has brought us along this far will continue to craft a good story and fulfill the dreams of the hero and heroine that we love. And, ironically enough, it's the aversion, the despair, the darkest hours of "Book Two" that make us love the "happily ever after" even more, isn't it?

While I love reading trilogies, I sometimes find it difficult to live in the storyline of an epic. I don't say this in a narcissistic way, yet I'm simply referring to the intricate plot and plan that our Father has crafted for each one of us. It's a lot more difficult to live in the midst of those dark nights of the soul, because we can't see "Book Three" right in front of us. Many times, we're not sure if we're even close to "Book Three," the time when our dreams are fulfilled in the most eloquent writing of an Author who is Good in the best sense of the word. Living in that uncertainty, that unknown, that season of "all is lost" with an undefined end is a difficult place to live. I confess, that in some of those dark moments, I've begged my Author to just give me something, some indication of the end, even if it's just to tell me how much longer Book Two is going to be. I can't say that an answer has ever come.

What has come, however, is a revelation to my spirit, one that is simple yet has a profound impact on me. It is simply a question: does it matter? If my Author did tell me the ending, if He did tell me that it would come in just a few more chapters, or instead that I had a long way to go, would it change my actions now? Would I quit if I still had a long journey ahead of me as opposed to "hanging in there" if I knew it was almost done? Would knowing exactly how the ending turned out change how I should react in this dark moment?

The answer to me is clear. "No."

The simple question brings a Truth and a light that ever so briefly dissipates the fog of my despair because I see that there is something even more important than my happy ending . . . my Author. As long as I remember that He is my Author and that He is scripting the story, I see that even the end of Book Two doesn't matter, because He has written it and He is Good. It gives me courage, like Sam at the end of The Two Towers, to pick up the ring and press on along the long and dangerous journey, knowing that although I may not know the way, I must continue, I must persevere, I must trust that the Author is Good.

And what I'm discovering is that the Author is Good beyond even my wildest imaginations. His writing runs circles around Pulitzer Prize winners and the beloved J.R.R. Tolkein. And surprisingly enough, even when the pages turn to what I think is the "happily ever after" of my journey, that it is really not the end at all. On the contrary, it's just the beginning of a new chapter, the continuation of the greatest story ever told, one that is beyond our comprehension. And while it may be filled with "happily ever afters," it would be inappropriate to refer to them as "happy endings" in a land where there is no end.

"No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever." (Rev. 22:3-4)