What if we don't see the end of the story?

By Sadie Elliott, CarePortal intern

Who doesn’t love a good success story? Superheroes and love stories and underdogs enchant us. Our books, shows, and movies have to have happy endings. But what happens when the storybook ending doesn’t occur? What happens when we don’t know the outcome? When there’s no closure?

One CarePortal participant has set a goal to meet the family for each of the needs to which her congregation responds. However, in her church’s most recent response, the family could not show up to meet her at the originally scheduled time. When the family did come to obtain the needed items, she couldn’t attend. What she wrote in response to this scenario captures the messiness of caring for others and the faithfulness that it requires:

“… I have to confess that I was very frustrated with this particular experience, but I know that sometimes these situations are messy and that is out of my control. I’m not ready to give up …”

You are not alone in your frustration. Brokenness is an adversary to joy. To engage in a system built upon the very premise of brokenness is to open the door to frustration. We hear your voice.

Caring for children and families in need is not about collecting a success story. It’s about being faithful to God and trusting in his plan and in his power. Brokenness is messy and ugly, and our hearts long for a happy ending because we want to resolve this brokenness. We want to clean up the mess. But don’t be disheartened when the outcome is unknown to you, for God is actively redeeming this world.

What happens when there’s no success story? Stay faithful, because God is writing the most beautiful of endings. He is writing an end to the brokenness. His ending is the beginning of life eternal.

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