God is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end (Rev 22:13). He knows the end from the beginning. What if YOU knew the end from the beginning? How would that change the way you live?
My 5 year old has recently started playing card games with us. We play “Go Fish” and “War” and he tends to get so discouraged if he doesn’t get the card he asked for because in his little mind, each hand is the entire game. He has a hard time looking beyond that hand and understanding that the game isn’t over until it's over. Just because you don’t win one hand of “Go Fish” doesn’t mean you lose the game. This got me thinking… how often do I feel like that in life? How often do I ascribe a terminal diagnosis to an eternal situation. How often do I think, “the game is over” because my focus is more on the hand that was just played instead of the entire game?
I remember first feeling that the “game was over” in high school. I would eat my lunch in the bathroom because no one would sit with me at lunch. I entertained thoughts like, “No one sees me," "No one likes me," "I’m all alone.” But then, this still, small voice reminded me, “this is NOT the end.” In God’s gracious mercy, He showed me that there was more to this life than bathroom stall lunches. He gave me an ability to see past that ‘hand,’ past that moment. Why? Because He is the Alpha and the Omega. You see, the quickest way to see beyond the “hand” in front of you, is by focusing on a God who has already won the game. He has created you for a purpose… an eternal one. So if you are stuck staring at a losing hand today, shift your focus and remember who God is. Drench your mind in these verses that remind you that the game isn’t over but it has already been won!
"For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." -1 John 5:4
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8
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Stephanie Parker has three main loves: God, her husband, Brett and her kids! When Stephanie created the Zipadee-Zip in an effort to solve her daughter, Charlotte's, sleep issues, she never imagined that it would become a business. She is incredibly grateful to God for how Sleepingbaby.com has grown and how it has enabled other families to get the restful sleep they need. Stephanie's husband, Brett Parker assumed the role of CEO which has allowed Stephanie to focus on what she loves which is the creative side of the company, like product and print development. After the Zipadee-Zip was featured on Shark Tank, Stephanie went on to create the book Shepherd's Treasure. In her free time, Stephanie loves to spend time with her family and friends. Her hobbies include acting, singing, painting, learning and speaking foreign languages and going on adventures with her family! You will find her all summer waterskiing, fishing and laughing with her family on the weekends.
