It can be difficult for us to see the blessings that can come along with endings.

We generally think in terms of beginnings, and how new things are blessings. However, endings can also be blessings, and are often the things that open the door for the blessings of new beginnings.

As a student, I can tell you that it truly feels like a blessing when certain classes end and you realize you made it through. As a follower of God, there have been endings in my life that at first seemed painful, but then later I looked back and saw how God actually used that to bless me.

The best example I can recall of a blessed ending is the year that I came to the end of myself.

I broke my ankle, lost friends, and struggled through some difficult classes. My identity had been wrapped up in academics, physical ability, and relationships. Suddenly, my ability to define myself in those ended, but I was given the blessing of a deep relationship with Christ and learning to identify in Him.

In Deuteronomy, God’s people are told that if they would heed His voice and follow Him, then they would be blessed when they came in and when they went out. Today, we are still God’s people and He still wants to bless us through both beginnings and endings.