Ecclesiastics 7v8 Endings are inevitable. They multiply, the longer you live. How does our culture handle endings? We are conditioned often to see endings as a sign of failure, rather than opportunities for something new. We hate endings – we want to avoid them at all cost. -Endings are scary. -Endings remind of us of other times we have experienced loss or change in the past. -Endings make us we lose the illusion of absolute control we pretend to have. -Endings shake up our identity. -We don’t like endings because sometimes they reveal areas of our life where we have unbelief. “I’ve arrived” VS. “I still have a lot to learn.” SO, I can kick, fight and grumble and medicate when endings come into my life; OR, I can learn to see God in transitions, and wait for God, and joyfully expect to see the resurrection power of Christ at work in my world. There are three phases of endings. Phase 1: Obviously, there is an ending. Rule: Things end so new things can happen. Phase 2: Waiting. Rule: It’s going to take much longer than you think. Phase 3: A New Beginning Rule: You have to let everything go. Life is filled with transitions – learn to let go of what no longer “fits” to get into the “new”. How to get through endings and not lose your marbles: 1. Grow in our personal relationship with Jesus. Let go of everything but Jesus. To take hold of something new, you may need to let go of something from the past. Luke 9v28-36 Goal in seasons of change and endings = listen for God. 2. Understand how your family handled endings. Transitions can cause us to lean on our traditions. Transitions can cause our inner monsters to emerge. 4. Wise counselors. Get some people around you who have also endured loss. 3. Think about the cross. Jesus models this for us. Death and resurrection allow new things to spring up. Our lives are ones of repeated death and resurrection. Galatians 2v20, Philippians 3v8-11 “Through the suffering of things dying, I come to know Jesus more deeply.” Learning to trust Jesus is the whole purpose of being his disciple. Matthew 17v14-20 “Have a little faith! It just takes a little faith!” Ask yourself two questions: What is it time to let go of? What new thing is waiting to make its entrance?