End

I remember climbing into the backseat of our ’95 Dodge Caravan destined for our summer vacation on the beach.

It was an 8-hour drive through Florida in the summer with no air conditioning.

Sandwich crumbs on the carpet floor, cup holders sticky from soda spills, and fighting with my sister over the lone Gameboy. We all had to go to the bathroom, but each was anxiously waiting for someone else to break so we didn't have to be the “one” to take the blame for another stop.

Sheesh. What could be worth all the stress and sweat and bathroom breaks?

The destination.

That spot was my favorite place in the whole world. I’d spend most of the year anticipating our annual summer vacation. Eat. Sleep. Fish. Watch cartoons. What more could a 10-year-old ask for?

Sometimes, life can feel like we’re trapped in a ’95 Dodge minivan with no air conditioning.

But the Destination.

The Omega. 

The One who makes all the suffering and pain worthy of the anticipation of the fulness of His presence.

“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, 'Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever'...

And the one sitting on the throne said, 'Look, I am making everything new!' And then he said to me, 'Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.'

And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 

All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.”

What more could we ask for?