I’m really bummed.  I found out yesterday that two of my favorite new TV shows, “Awake” and “Unforgettable,” have not been renewed for next season!  Now I will never know who murdered Carrie’s sister.  Or whether it was Detective Britten’s wife or son who was killed in the “accident.”  I mean, come on!  You can’t just leave the mysteries unsolved, the stories unfinished!  I need closure!

I guess I should choose my shows more carefully.  But even when a popular series is continually renewed, the ending can still be unsatisfying.  Many of my friends who were “Lost” fans followed it faithfully, only to be disappointed at its conclusion.  Their questions were answered, but not in the way they were hoping.  So even if my shows had continued, and I had made an even greater investment of time and emotional energy in the story line, I might still be let down with a thud at the end.

It’s all so discouraging.

But it does make me thankful that the story that God is writing is moving forward right on schedule.  Mysteries will be solved.  Loose ends will be tied up.  Questions will be answered.  We won’t be left hanging.  “O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.”  (Isaiah 25:1)

And Romans 5:5 assures us that we won’t be disappointed with the ending:  “And this hope will not lead to disappointment.”  In fact, it far exceeds our wildest imaginations!  “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.'” (1 Corinthians 2:9)  Oh, this is going to be good!  Pop the popcorn and pull up a chair.  I can hardly wait!

While these fictional television dramas can be a nice diversion and a way to relax at the end of a long day, they are not real life.  Maybe God is trying to tell me to invest more in the stories unfolding in the lives of people who actually exist, rather than getting so wrapped up in characters and plots that are merely the product of some television writer’s imagination.  And perhaps more of my time and energy can be devoted to the greatest story ever told–His Story, the one that is marching towards completion, the one that will never disappoint!