Beginnings and Endings
2/28/20
Hey there!
I’ve been slacking a bit on my emails and togetherness in general, so sorry guys. I am getting back on track this week!
I’d like to bring up something today that isn’t fun to hear: Every beginning has an ending.
But wait, don’t get bogged down in that statement! It is just life. You start high school, you finish high school. Your first kiss begins, your first kiss ends. And these ends lead to a new chapter! College will start, then you graduate, you start your first real job, then you may leave for the next thing, etc. The list goes on. Even with each individual day- it begins and it ends. Every time like clockwork.
With that being said, I would like to explore this concept in the context of the relationships we have with others; friend to family to lover. I have witnessed a lot of different endings no matter the kind. Some end abruptly, some end in distance, some end before the relationship does, some end beautifully even if it is bittersweet. Some end in lies, some end in brokenness, some end in peace, some end when you don’t even realize it was your last time.
While there are a million different scenarios to surround the context of the relationship you find yourself in, luckily, there is ultimately only two kinds of ways to leave: With love or without love.
What do I mean by this?
Okay, think of the cutest old couple you know. Those two people who are 70 and still pinching each others butts in public. Or those great love stories where two people grow old together and their lives end side by side. These would be examples of an ending that is with love. Another would be parents sending you off to college out of state, knowing you have to grow up and things will never be quite the same again. It takes love to let go in sight of greater things. It takes love to stay by someones side for a lifetime until you no longer have a choice in the matter.
And an ending without love? I doubt I even have to tell you. Being used, taken advantage of, discarded. Ones we probably all can remember much more easily than the graceful goodbyes we’ve had.
I have also found that those with bad intentions never actually allow for an ending. The people you have had to force out of your heart due to the pain of their exit typically will never let you go completely. They may not want you around, but they want power over your mind.
Love seeks to see the best happen for others. Love conquers any battle, bridge, task, mountain, or valley. And yes, love has to let go sometimes. But it let’s go respectfully and with honor. Love leaves you knowing that it was indeed love that you had. But toxic endings? Nope. Those can go on for years even if only in small ways. A text every so often, an insertion into your daily life, an action or choice with intent to disturb your peace. Don’t allow for these relationships to continue in any capacity as much as you can possibly help it. Some beginnings must end. And that is a truth that I struggle to accept, but know I am not alone in.
Life is complex and messy. Each day is filled with a million small firsts and lasts. We are like oceans tossing back and forth; the ripple of each wave crossing into others and crafting the unique person we are becoming. We are destined to begin, and ultimately, to end. We don’t get any other details. Is the person you gave your heart away to going to care for it well? Who knows. Is today your last normal day before an opportunity arises and changes your life forever? Maybe. Will you live to see tomorrow? Only God knows the answers.
So, this entire concept sounds super depressing still. But wait, I am not done!!!
Eternity… It has no ending. Only this life has those. And regardless of our small blinking moments worth of life on earth, the hope we have in Heaven is secured. We say goodbye to this painful, astounding, magical, heartbreaking, magnificent existence and say hello to the Creator of all that is good. So have hope in that our final goodbye to this world begins next with an everlasting hello.
Your story is being woven from every relationship, every breath, every old and new chapter you enter. You know what love looks like. And you know that in a world without control, all we can control is the love we give. So start well, finish well, and most importantly, love well.
See you next week,
Lexi Cummings
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