End in Sight

When I was growing up, our house was full of fun things. Books. Board games. Puzzles. I loved it when we pulled out a 1000+ piece puzzle. Mommy taught me very early that you want to begin by sorting out and putting together the edge pieces. But then the REAL work begins. You have to continually sort and then piece, sort and piece... and gradually the picture comes together. I very quickly got bored during the "sort and piece" process. But Mommy would go back whenever she had half an hour, and piece together bit by bit. My siblings and I made Mommy so angry because after she had put in HOURS of work, we would place the last 30-50 pieces.

Now I'm the mom, who puts in all the hours, but rarely get to place the last piece. And most of the time, I gladly relinquish the last bit. But it occurred to me as I was putting together a puzzle this week, why the puzzle scenario plays out that way. For me, the end is in sight as soon as the puzzle comes out of the box. But for my seven- and eight-year-olds, the end of the puzzling seems beyond reach.

Then I thought about the walk of faith. Christ knew "right out of the box" the entire work of redemption. He knew the end from the beginning. And He is steadfast in working out faith in the lives of His people. But our vantage point is drastically limited. For us the end result of our faith very often seems eternally out of reach. So Christ gave us glimpses in Scripture of the end. Kind of like the picture on the box of the puzzle. Trust, Christian, that the end is "in sight"... even if it takes another thousand years or more.

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
Revelation 1:1-2
 
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Ephesians 1:15-23
 
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
Revelation 21:1-6