The Beginning of the End

The women in my parish seemed to have synchronized their pregnancies — several new babies arriving on the scene every three weeks, with two other ladies hours away from popping.  In contrast, we will be driving to Hutchinson to have a low-key Christmas day visit with my mother and father-in-law.  The health of my formerly active and strong husband’s late eighties dad slipped over recent months— unable to travel, knocking death on the door.  The life cycle vividly in view reminds me that on this earth we have a beginning and an end…even Jesus.

Jesus entered the world just like us as a defenseless baby—and his beginning, like ours, was the beginning of the end.

Christ ushers in the beginning of the end with his conception, life, suffering, and death on the cross.  Like Christ, we all have a mission.  We have a finite amount of time to complete it.  And whether we complete it or not, our lives will end.

The busy Christmas time is a great opportunity to make sure what comes in the middle of your beginning and your end will generate peace when time runs out for you.  To maximize your middle practice the principles of perspective, priorities, and a people-first approach.

The right perspective walks the line between the attitudes of “It’s not the end of the world” and “It is the end of the world”.  Don’t sweat the small stuff, but orient your entire life and energy around the  essential activities and relationships that build treasures in heaven.

A Christ-centered perspective segues into the correct priorities.  Remember: our lives are finite.  We can’t do it all.  There will be conflicts and tensions.  Clear priorities illuminate the path that leads us and others home in style.

When you watch what Jesus did between the manger and the grave, people are always first.  A lifetime of loving people creates a smooth transition into heaven.

So remember: think perspective, priorities, and a  people-first.   Jesus didn’t fly down in a spaceship or take some extraordinary means to arrive and complete his mission.  He did it just like how we have to do it— with a beginning and an end.

Catholic Women’s Guide to Healthy Relationships Tip:  Inventory your perspective, priorities, and people and make any necessary adjustments.