Happily Ever After?

Fairy-tale endings, underdog come-backs, against-all-odds victories; they engage us, engulf us, they encourage us. Our hearts leap within us at each turn of these stories. We weep with them and laugh with them. Our insides desperately want to burst in celebration at the climax as the good-guy, the overcomer, the hero claims victory for what is right. And in the end everything is as it should be. They live happily ever after.
These stories, books, movies, lives they inspire us. The very thought of them cause eyes to tear, lumps to grow in throats, toes and fingers to tap, adrenaline to pump. Do you already have a story in mind? One that touches your heart and deeply moves you? It may seem so obvious to point to the carpenter’s son born in a manger, the long awaited Messiah of ancient prophesy, the one who gave blind men their sight and sick people their health, the one who gave his life as a ransom for the lost, the overcomer and conquerer of death, the risen Savior Jesus Christ. Do we remember the power of His work on the cross with the passion and connection we have for our favorite fairy-tale or real-life story of adventure and victory?
Having recently been inspired and encouraged by a totally fictitious, but engaging story, I find myself overwhelmed by the incredible power of the good news and the work of Christ. Feel good stories temporarily fill a deep need within us. They inspire because they offer hope. Hope that no matter the odds things might possibly work out. In the end of course this need of ours for hope is only really met in the hope given to us through Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
1 Peter 1:3-4

The power of this living hope allows us to know peace and joy in the most difficult circumstances and to walk in these troubled times without fear. What we must remember is that we are not yet in the happily-ever-after part of the story. Our lives on this earth are still a part of God’s epic story. While Christ’s death and resurrection provide the way to heaven, we have the great priveledge of being used by God to be a light in a dark and hopeless world. Each day in what may seem like very ordinary events we have been given the power to choose to represent God and play a part in the ultimate feel-good story of eternity.