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The End
By Amy Carmichael
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Will not the End explain
The crossed endeavour, earnest purpose foiled,
The strange bewilderment of good work spoiled,
The clinging weariness, the inward strain,
Will not the End explain?
Meanwhile He comforteth
Them that are losing patience; ‘tis His way.
But none can write the words they hear Him say,
For men to read; only they know He saith
Kind words, and comforteth.
Not that He doth explain
The mystery that baffleth; but a sense
Husheth the quiet heart, that far, far hence
Lieth a field set thick with golden grain,
Wetted in seedling days by many a rain;
The End, it will explain.
[Amy Carmichael was an Irish missionary to India who experienced much hardship as she rescued children from depravity and poverty. The last two decades of her life she was crippled from an injury, but she still ran the Dohnavur orphanage from her bedroom. I have a feeling that when we all get to Heaven, the End of her story will be a glorious one!]
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A Final Note
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Elyse Fitzpatrick, in her excellent book A Steadfast Heart, encourages us, “Because of our sinful nature, without God’s mercy in our lives, we all belong in caves and holes in the ground, not in fine palaces embellished with beautiful fabrics and fragrant blossoms. It’s surely his mercy that we find ourselves, from time to time, in hardship and pain, discovering the great treasures of accurate understanding and the beauty of his merciful character.”
Dear friends, if you are trying to make sense out of the twists and turns of life, I would say to you: Embrace your trials and pain as God’s ministering servants to purify and strengthen you. His holy kindness draws us to repentance so that we can be restored to the heritage of blessings He has planned for us. As you put your trust in Him, the Lord will pour out His love and mercy in unexpected places. Be prepared to turn around and comfort others with the comfort you have received. Go forth in truth and grace! | 
