I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. Revelation 21:1
For those of you who are in my generation, you'll recognize the title as the words to a song in which a young girl is bemoaning the loss of her boyfriend. She wonders why the sun still shines, why the sea still rushes to shore. For her - it's the end of her world as she knows it.
I think for those of us with chronic illnesses, our challenges often seem to be bringing the "end of the world" as we know it. It's easy to get discouraged by the, what seems to be, bleak prospects ahead.
Now, we have the doomsday soothsayers who are pointing to the Mayan calendar and showing how 12/21/12 is going to be the end of the world, or at least the end of the world as we know it.
Do I believe that? Well, I do see some sense in the logic behind their theories, but Scripture tells us that God is the one who knows what will happen in our world and when - not man.
So where does that leave us? Still dealing, day-by-day, with our challenges. Yet perhaps this is not nearly as bleak as we may sometimes think.
The thought struck me as I was reading one of the websites that touts this theory, that even if the "end of the world" folks are right - even the end of the world is not truly the end.
For those of us who have entrusted our lives to Christ - it is only the beginning.
Father God, Thank you that no matter what our situation is in this world, there is hope. While we may be looking at the end of our worlds as we know them, we are looking at the continuation of our lives with you - ones where we cannot even imagine the glory and wonder that awaits us. Amen and amen.