"All’s Well that Ends”
For those of you who have hung around me over time, you know
how I like to misquote and twist familiar sayings. “All’s well that ends” is
one of my favorites. In fact, it has become my philosophy of life. I
suspect if there is a celebration of my life after I have taken my
final breath, somebody may share this memory.
Of course, I realize the original proverb, or whatever you
wish to call it, had one more word to complete the thought. I have had
numerous persons try to correct me or to help me by adding the word “well.”
Sometimes it feels like they are just trying to be courteous by helping an old
man with a memory problem. But, honestly, I prefer my shorter version not just
because it gets their attention, but it truly does reflect reality.
Anybody can say, “All’s well that ends well.” It doesn’t
take a genius to figure that out. We all like knowing a project or an
experience ended well. I prefer winning over losing a game. I selfishly prefer
winning by a large margin- none of that “by the skin of your teeth” stuff for
me!
Saying “All’s well that ends” is not simply trying to act like
a “Smart Alec.” (Yes, there really is such a word in the dictionary with the connotation
of being arrogant or a show off.) Perhaps that was my original motive when I
first starting leaving off the word, “well”. As a child, I was often (or
attempted to be) a Smart Alec. I had a quick tongue and sometimes received the
board of education on the seat of knowledge to convince me to change.
Recently I discovered a very wise man who agrees that “All’s well that ends.” Solomon, in Ecclesiastes 7:8, said it this way- “The end of
the matter is better than its beginning.” Now, with just a bit of loose
hermeneutic I think Solomon is saying, ”All’s well that ends.” No matter how it
started or how something progressed or failed to progress, it always ends, and that is good. So even
if it ends good- I win by doubling the score on my adversary- or if it ends
poorly- I get skunked, either way the game is over. I can leave the field
to lick my wounds in private, and that is better than listening to their cat
calls and taunting.
But, I ask for your patience as I try to demonstrate that “All’s
well that ends” is not only biblical, but it is an appropriate philosophy as a follower
of Jesus Christ.
In three more weeks I hit the big 72. I realize how few
years I have left to invest or to waste. No longer do I assume Jesus will
return before my name is listed in tomorrow’s obituary column. But, whether I
live to a ripe old age and keep my mind (what is left of it) or whether I die
tomorrow or whether I become a victim of Alzheimer ’s disease, the endgame is
great. Paul, writing from prison and expecting to literally lose his head,
declared that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord which
is far better.”
The prophet Habakkuk, facing the severity of the Babylonian siege,
and feeling how unjust this was, sang,
“Yet I will wait patiently for the
day of calamity to come on the nation invading us.
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
Though olive crop fails and the
fields produce no food,
Though there are no sheep in the
pen and no cattle in the stall,
Yet, I rejoice in the Lord, I will
be joyful in God my savior.” – Hab. 3:16b-18
Habakkuk could compose this song
because he knew “The Sovereign Lord” was his strength.” He believed that all
would be well no matter the circumstances or how it all ended. He knew that the
“Lord was in His holy temple” so the whole earth should be silent before Him or trust Him.
Didn’t Jesus also teach this
principle? “Why”, He asked, ”should we worry about tomorrow if we know Him who
knows the endgame and marks the fall of the sparrow? Why fret about the lack of
food in our pantry or clothes in my closet if our Father in Heaven feeds birds
and wraps the lily in splendor?”
Life is a journey. Some days it
is just flat out tough to just hold on. Some days life may be like a bowl of
cherries (for Forrest Gump a box of chocolates or for me, Oregon strawberries or
cashew nuts). My life and your life is a story being lived out moment by
moment. No matter how my life began or how today began, someday it will all be
history. I can choose how to live each day. In Paul’s words in Philippians 4, I
can choose to worry about the “what ifs” that may never happen or I can choose
to trust God. I can complain or I can give thanks in all things. Paul trusted
God, like Habakkuk, to bring good things out of life's difficult experiences. Didn’t God promise this in Roman 8:28? Not everything that happens is
good. Some experiences in life just plain stink; others are excruciating
painful. But, for Christ followers, it always ends well.
Isn’t that the big story
throughout Scripture? Things started off really well in the garden. Then sin entered
and everything has been negatively affected. The rest of the Bible is God
working through every event in history to accomplish His ultimate purpose- His
endgame.
When I read the book of The
Revelation of Jesus Christ, especially the final chapters, everything sin and Satan
defiled will be made new. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. Once
again God will dwell among us like He did with Adam and Eve. No more tears to
shed. No more pain. No more funerals to attend. No more final goodbyes. All
will be new!
It doesn’t get any better than
that. So, like I said, “ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS!” And it will end very, very well! Perhaps, very
soon. Wouldn’t that be good?
Oh, yes, how do you like the picture taken on our 50th anniversary. It has been 50 wonderful years with a few tough days mixed in, but what are they when "All's well that ends?"
