“Don’t skip to the end….”
Have you ever watched a movie when the tension is so unbearable that you just want to skip to the end to find out what happens?
I remember in our early years of marriage when we had time to watch movies, and we could stay up beyond 10pm, Hayley (my wife) and I watched a movie called “Sanctum”, by James Cameron.
If you want to see the trailer – check it out here….
The premise of the story is around a group of people who choose to dive into the world’s largest cave; some for fame and fortune, while others for research. Suddenly whilst they are exploring a sub-cave, there is an earthquake and their entrance into the cave is blocked. As they pause to reflect, they realise that the cave they are in is filling up with water and their only chance of survival is to navigate their way out.
Now whilst this is exactly the type of movie I love, for some reason this is the very movie that Hayley cannot stand! We as a couple are largely the polar opposites in types of movies. Whilst I was on the edge of my seat for 120 minutes, around the 23-minute mark, Hayley couldn’t take it any further and had already Googled what happens at the end, and which characters would survive… I wonder who you are most like when watching movies? Hayley or me?
If you keep up with these prayer blogs, many of you will know that my 4yr old daughter called Addy, was diagnosed with a terminal illness in September 2020. Over the past few months, we have argued, raged, and pleaded with God over the hand that has been dealt to her, with often the hardest times being when you fast forward life and skip to the end.
A fellow Christian also going through parenting a child with complex needs pointed me to a book by an author called Kate Bowler. The book is a monologue of her journey through heart-breaking and yet funny revelations as she grapples with her own destiny in the wake of liver cancer at the age of 35. In the book, she too uses the phrase “don’t skip to the end”.
The reality of what happens when we do is that we can become so fixated on the potential destiny, that we miss out on the joy within the moment. Regardless of who we are….
- Whether we have a terminal disease, or we think we’re destined to die of old age,
- We have millions in our bank account, or we are in debt,
- Whether we have the best education, or not at all,
- Our skin is white, black, or a wonderful display of many variations,
- We are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Jedi, or Atheist,
…. today is all any of us have; and if we skip to the end, we can miss what God is doing in the present. We do this all the time by wishing away the days, weeks or months saying, “I can’t wait until ….” or “it’ll be so much better when…..”, and we forfeit the joy of today by wishing for tomorrow.
Sometimes it’s hard to recognise God being there, and other times it’s more apparent – however, this doesn’t diminish the reality that He is still there.
It’s not wrong to look forward to things, but I wonder what aspects of our lives we are “skipping to the end” and forfeiting the potential joy of this moment?
As we think about this, let us pray for:
- children who are still finding it hard to come to terms with varying dynamics of learning at school.
- young people who are struggling with identity right now and wishing away what God is giving them.
- those individuals who are struggling with mental health issues, and for whatever reason simply feel numb, never mind feeling the concept of joy.
- individuals coming to the end of their earthly life, that they would find peace and joy in the next steps.
- Our churches as we walk with people through grief and celebrate with those who are joyful.
Written by Dave Clarke – Director of Swindon Youth for Christ