Sunday, January 22, 2012

Bloviation...that's the Situation

This morning I learned that I have a tendency to bloviate. That would be 'blow-vee-ate. Sounds scary, huh? It simply means to speak or write wordily. Yup. That's me.=) Which is why, when I read LC my brother's blog, she was like, "that's short." As opposed to the long ones I write.

I have another confession...I have a really BAD habit. I always read the front fold and the last few pages of a book before I start it. If I don't like how the book ends, I won't read it. I just won't. I am totally a fan of happy endings, good resolutions, and the triumph of good over evil. I enjoy mysteries, or adventure , or classics with a good ending. When there is no sour note at the end. When you shut the book, or turn off the computer, and think, "that was a great story." I like clear good guys and bad guys. A hero. A protagonist. A villain who gets his just desserts. I just am not into books that end bad. Or movies, for that matter. Like, why does the Titanic always sink? Maybe Leonardo won't drown this time around, and he and Kate will live happily ever after. Or how about True Grit? Great movie. But, tell me why...why? Good triumphs, the bad men are all dead. And then Mattie Rose gets bit in the arm by a rattlesnake, and ends up losing her arm? Seriously? But even that isn't the end of the story. No, the END of the story is years and years later, when she tries to make it to see the Rooster Cogburn character, but when she gets there, he's dead-pine box and all. Not cool. So not cool. Depressing, actually.

The Cohen brothers made the latest True Grit. I have not enjoyed the ending of a single Cohen brother film. They always almost have a good ending, and then they mess it up. You say, "well, Bernadette, that's life. Life doesn't always have a happy ending. Life isn't a Disney movie where they all live happily ever after."
I beg to disagree. I think the idea of a happy ending is Biblical. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV  

I think God has put in our hearts the desire for a happy ending. The desire for good to triumph over evil, for justice. There is a whole lot of wickedness happening in our world right now. But, I've read the end of the story. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 says, "Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."

God triumphs. Evil is defeated. Forever. End of story. The ending is happy for believers. Furthermore, Revelation 21:4 talks about God wiping away all tears from their eyes; no more death, sorrow, or crying; no more pain. That sounds pretty happy to me.

Frankly, I want the happy ending in my reading because there IS a happy ending-for believers. Furthermore, I am going to share this good news with anyone I can, so they can live in the hope of a happy ending too.

And they all lived happily ever after...