All good things must come to an end..

Recently, I've realised something. It's a thing that has brought a lot of peace to my mind- a lot of understanding and I thought I'd share it with you today.

What I've realised is... All good things must come to an end.

I've always been one of those people who wants to try and hold onto the good in life for as long as possible- especially when it comes to my friends and things I value. I guess that comes from the fact that I didn't have that many friends growing up.

I'm the type of person who would bring up old memories during catch ups just so that I could reminisce about how good those times were. The type of person who hated goodbyes to those near and dear and couldn't get my head around why relationships were so different with people a couple of months after when we weren't so close. Oh and I was also one of those people who tried as hard as possible to keep friendships at the same level as they were long after I knew they weren't there anymore... oh and don't even get me started on actual relationships!

Case in point- I was close friends with someone a few years ago. We would talk a lot, share a lot about our lives and it felt really cool to have another close friend who I could hang out with, share laughs, do lots of really cool things with- I thought we'd be lifelong friends and we'd be sharing about our lives back then in decades time.

That person however went overseas and while I kept up with them over Skype we weren't as close as before- naturally it does happen when you live two separate lives away from each other in different countries doing your own thing. When they came back to Australia- our friendship had changed. I could see that we weren't as close as before- but rather than just accept it and appreciate the fact we were still friends, I instead spent my time questioning what I could have done wrong to ruin what we had- did I say the wrong thing, did I take them for granted etc.

Over time, my lack of focus on what we had meant that I missed out on building the friendship that was still there and while I will say we are still friends, we are nowhere near as close as before.

This is the prime example of what can happen when you aren't open to the fact that all good things will end eventually. Now I'm not saying that every friendship where someone goes away will end like this- I mean I have a good friend of mine who I didn't see for a year thanks to being on mission who I came back to and it was like we'd only been away from each other for a day. The thing is though, that sometimes, whether we like it or not, circumstances are going to change and we need to be ready to accept that time.

As Ecclesiastes says, there is a time for everything and we need to be able to live in the moment as it arises for two main reasons...

1. We only get to live in that moment for a period of time- so we need to make the most of it and treasure every chance we get.
2. If we keep trying to live in a moment once it's gone, we miss the opportunities that might be just around the corner for something better, greater or even a growth that could change everything.

Now there's one other reason for allowing a season in time to pass through and to move to a new one. This reason is greater than the two mentioned above but it's also one of the hardest reasons to get your head around...

- God has called that person to something greater-

Yes people, sometimes we are not the only reason that good things must come to an end. Sometimes it's for the benefit of the other to find their God given calling. 

This is a hard pill to swallow but understanding this concept could be the difference between a lifetime of what if's and pain vs a lifetime of joy and happiness. It's why I admire any man or woman who gives up their significant other so they can become a religious. You might love that person with all your heart, but you know that they are called to a higher purpose and who are you to stand against that. These people are not only brave, but they have tremendous trust in God's plan, I mean, you couldn't do it otherwise.

A few weeks ago, I was faced with this choice. One of my closest friends told me about her dream to go do mission work overseas and I was faced with the fact of whether I was selfish and told her to stay and do it in Australia or was honest and listened to what I knew was God's purpose for her.

To answer the question- she's now training for 9 months of mission in Canada and I couldn't be prouder, happier or feel closer as a friend to her then now- even though she is over 10,000 kms away. Despite the close friendship we have and the chance we may not be as close when she comes back, I knew I had to tell her to go if that's what God wanted for her - and by all accounts to this point- it seems like He did.

You see, I'm realising that no matter how good something may seem- it will only get better if we allow the moments we are in to have their end and for new opportunities to begin. It's like when you prune the beautiful flowers of a plant so new buds can sprout and next season more flowers can grow - we can only keep having life to it's fullest if we are willing to live in the moment- to accept it for what it is and to know that when the time comes to move on, we can, knowing God has something greater in store.

Till next time...