Last night, I watched a nature program about a mama bear waking up after a winter’s hibernation. She had two cubs, so small that they had a hard job following her when she left the cave. The snow was deep and the grown bear took off, leaving her babies to struggle through the deep snow. They floundered and sank but kept on, trying to catch up with the one who meant warmth, security, and food. At last, the snow was above the heads of the babies and they could go no farther. They were in danger of freezing to death. I was just about to switch channels. I like animal shows and I know that nature can be harsh and unforgiving, as well as beautiful and fascinating but I do not like to see animals die, especially baby animals. However, this story had a happy ending. The mother bear came back to her babies, they cuddled against her, got warm milk into their stomachs and survived.
Perhaps I write because an author is in charge of how the story ends. My stories all have satisfactory endings. Mysteries are solved, wrongs are righted, and sins are forgiven. In my children’s stories, the furry protagonist may face terrible dangers or ridicule but in the end, he is triumphant! In the cozy mysteries I write, Darcy and Flora and the heroes and heroines in other series, come up against danger and even face death but in the end, loose ends are tied up, questions are answered, and puzzles are solved.
Maybe my stories don’t always reflect real life but in real life, justice does not always prevail. Wrongs are not always righted and sometimes it looks like the bad guys come out the winners. However, we don’t always hear “The Rest of the Story” as Paul Harvey used to say. The ultimate judge is the Lord and I’m glad that He has the final say about matters. He judges with justice and also compassion. As I watch and listen to the news (before I get so sick of it that I turn it off) I realize that He is the only one who can make things come around right again.
God is in charge of each of our own stories as we go through life but He gives us many opportunities to show compassion, and interject a bright note into someone else’s story. Sometimes we have to look for those openings, but they are there and in blessing others, we bless ourselves.
AMEN