ECCLESIASTES 3:9-11 (NIV)

I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

God is the author of life.  He ordained prophets and apostles to write down His words in the Bible, so that we would have a history and an instruction manual.  He ordained the apostle John to write the book of Revelations, the final chapter in the Word.  Revelations tells of the rapture, things to look for in the final days, and of the wonders of an eternal life with Christ.  God decided on the final chapter of His book, even though man assembled it. 

There is no question that God allowed man to find the Dead Sea Scrolls.  Surely God appointed men to record the life of Jesus and His followers.  He absolutely consecrated Evangelists to go out into the world to spread the Good News.  He gives us the gifts we need to do the work He wants to be accomplished.  He is not a respecter of man.  Position, education, wealth, and position mean nothing to God, since all we have has be given to us by Him.

In your life you will have good times and bad times, as echoed in Ecclesiastes 7: 14.  This up and down roller coaster allows us recovery time so that we are not constantly overwhelmed and disheartened by difficult trials.  We do not know when we will face the rise or falls of our journey, but we have the constant assurance that God is with us always. 

You have your own life story.  It has a beginning, middle, and end.

In the beginning chapter of your life, God decided who would birth you and who your family would be.  Beyond this primary interjection, your life is lived according to free choice.  If the home you grew up in was full of love, Praise Be to God!  The Lord used your parents to teach, guide, counsel, love, and nurture you.  Your well of cool cups of water was lovingly filled so you could share them with those around you. 

Sadly, if God placed you in an abusive home, you had a rough start in life.  I am sorry.  I would like to think He gave you an extra measure of strength in order to survive it and escape.  You must remember that God gave your parents free choice too.  Unfortunately, they made choices to sin against you.  The Lord has given you the free choice to forgive them and move past your difficult life beginning.

The middle part of your life story is all about how you use the gifts God has put inside of you.  You have the free choice to ignore them or to daily bless others by using them.  You will have ups and downs throughout your life but these middle chapters in your story will really define you. 

The final chapters of your life should still be full of service.  The wisdom you have gained throughout your life will now allow you to share it with those who are younger.  If the listener is smart, he will listen carefully to your nuggets of wisdom and store them for later use.  The final chapter of your life, like all the chapters, is wrapped in mystery.  How or what will cause your death is hidden in a shroud for you sake.  You only need to know that you will not be alone on this final journey.  There will be angels, passed loved ones, or Christ Himself who will help you to bridge the gap between this world and the next. 

He has written all the chapters of your life.  You story is written with His promise of free choice, so they can be rewritten and revised as you live it out.  You have no need to worry about the last chapter.   If you are a believer, it will always have a happy ending.