Endings and Beginnings

The author of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes makes the observation that "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." He then lists examples of how there is a time for something and then a time for its opposite. For example, there's a time to be born and a time to die; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to keep silent and a time to speak; and so forth.

There seems to be a time for everything.

Today I'd like to contemplate a time to end and a time to begin.

On June 30 I will end my career with Lutheran Hour Ministries and the Mens' NetWork.

This ending is a bittersweet time for me, as I will certainly miss writing these weekly messages. For your feedback has indicated that sometimes, in some small ways, these messages have been informative and inspirational. I am humbled to hear that from you.

However, with each ending there is a new beginning, and I look forward to launching into a new phase in my life. I anticipate the opportunities God has in store for me in my new role. I am excited and a little apprehensive about the future, but I am ready.

That is the nature of endings and beginnings, isn't it? We often look backward with a twinge of sadness and look forward with excitement and a little anxiety.

Of course, many of us face these times of transition at different moments in our lives.

To paraphrase the biblical writer, there is a time to end and a time to begin the many things we do under the sun. There is

a time to end walking and a time to begin driving as a licensed driver;
a time to end being single and a time to begin life as a husband;
a time to end being childless and a time to begin being a father;
a time to end one job and a time to begin another;
a time to end living in an apartment and a time to buy a house;
a time to end employment and a time to retire.

Then again, not all endings are anticipated. There may come a time when you end being married and begin life as a widower or a divorced man.

There may come a time when your employment ends with the words, "You're fired," and you begin the long process of finding work again.

There may come a time to end being a homeowner as the bank forecloses your note and you start life as a homeless person, doing the best you can to find shelter for you and your family.

I have learned one thing over the years that has helped me face endings that were hard to understand and difficult to endure. Whether it was losing a wife, a job, or a house, God has always been there with me.

As I look back over my life, I see how God has provided for me no matter what the circumstances.

Men, if I can leave you with one thing it is this: God loves you.

May your journey be blessed and full of wonderful beginnings and endings.

Rich