“sequel” – a literary work
that is complete in itself but continues the narrative of a preceding
work; an event or circumstance following something.
I like to read sequels, live
sequels, and write sequels. To me, a sequel is another word for
MORE. MORE is a word of fulfillment, abundance, flourishing. I love
everything about MORE; it reminds me of God as an Over Blesser. Since
God keeps generously extending my life, I keep living and writing and
publishing MORE of my spiritual autobiographical sequels. I'm
expecting soon to publish the third book in my Trilogy titled “STILL
MORE!” subtitled, “Flourishing on My Summit.” It is
a sequel to a sequel to another sequel in my “Land of MORE”
series. If you count my original autobiography, I guess this
forthcoming book is the fourth sequel!
When I finish the final page of an
exciting novel, I don't want it to end. I want to know more. What
happened to the protagonist and the rest of the characters? A brief
Epilogue of a few pages at the end of the novel is not enough for me. I like
to read books in a series which carries forward the same characters and introduces more characters along with new plots and subplots.
My life, too, is a story and my years
are the chapters. There was a beginning and there will be a
conclusion, an earth-time finish—but not an end. I anticipate an
eternal Epilogue which will be an endless Sequel as vast as the
universe. In our humanity, we think in time and space sequences but
God, Who is outside of time, stoops to our finite understanding of
time and directs the sequels of our lives.
Thank God for sequels! When I
was diagnosed with lung cancer and went through surgery twenty-four
years ago, I faced the possibility that there might be no more
earth-time sequels for me. No more productive, fruitful years to
serve the Lord. But God planned for more sequels.
When my husband Ted died after
forty-six years of marriage and parenting and ministry together, I
faced the possibility that this might be the end of my ministry, my
usefulness to God. But God planned for more sequels.
When I wrote my autobiography as a
legacy for my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, I tried hard to keep it to
under 450 pages. There was so much to tell about the Lord's goodness
and mercy. Although I tried to chronicle only major events of my long
life, it was already more than an inch thick and the publisher warned
that binding would be difficult! I thought that it was probably the
final book I would write. But God planned for more sequels—and
more published books.
As I have reached eighty-nine years
and begin my ninetieth year, every day is the first day of the rest
of my life. Could God possibly plan for still more sequel living?
As I live the rest of my summit years, at what point in my climb I
will arrive at the summit is up to Him and His destiny for my life. I
just have to keep climbing....
I came across these challenging words
somewhere:
“I will climb my mountain. They
have told me it is too high, too far, too steep, too rocky, and too
difficult. But it's my mountain and I will climb it. One day you will
see me waving from the top...” It had a different ending which
I don't even remember, but I chose my own ending with “...and
joyfully shouting, 'We made it!' as I stand hand in hand with God
ready to leave for the Grand Sequel.”
The Lord veils the upward road ahead
in my summit years because He loves me. He knows that If I knew the
rest of the way was going to be nothing but happy-happy, I might be
too impatient to get on with it and miss some of the blessings He
wants to give me if I trust His plans for me whatever the journey is
like. If I knew in advance that the road ahead was going to be
rougher and more difficult, or shorter or longer, I might be
reluctant to go on, inclined to draw back.
But what if God reveals to us in
advance something about His Heavenly Sequel after earth life? He
does! But it is more than we can take in. “Eye has not seen,
nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things
which God has prepared for them that love him” (1 Cor. 2:9).
Without letting me know the details of what is ahead in the rest of
the summit season of my life, He encourages me to trust Him and
endure. He guarantees never to leave me or forsake me on my upward
pilgrimage toward the final summit of earth life. He simply wants me
to keep doing His will as He whispers it uniquely to me day by day
and anticipate more of His goodness and mercy.
“For you have need of endurance, so
that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was
promised” (Hebrews 10 36). What did He promise? That I would
“obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled
and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who
are protected by the power of God through faith for a
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter
1:4,5).
What a Heavenly Sequel
to our earth life! We are destined to finally live in
“real time,” by God's definition, in the eternal span of immortal
existence! We will celebrate with joy in God's Presence as we meet
many of the same characters we knew when we lived our life story on
earth and multitudes more from ages past and from years to
come!
(Excerpt from Leona's forthcoming book STILL MORE! FLOURISHING ON MY SUMMIT, Chapter 14, "Launching from my Summit")
No comments:
Post a Comment