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Most likely, you’ve heard this phrase before — “It isn’t over ‘till it’s over.”This familiar phrase pops up all the time in a variety of contexts, from sports to business to music to politics, etc. But, how does this familiar phrase apply to our everyday lives? And, more specifically, how does it apply in the wake of the worst shooting in modern American history?
Will the violence ever be over? It seems like sometimes in our real, everyday lives, it feels more accurate to say, “The violence is never over until it is over, and it is never over.”I know this is how many people in the world feel in regard to what happened in Las Vegas as we continue to hear and read about the many personal stories of loss and the heartbreak that accompanies such a tragedy.And there’s no question that those who lost their life — their absence will impact families (and our national history) for generations. However, despite our collective grief, there is hope in the midst of this tragedy because there is actually a more accurate phrase that we can apply to the tragedies of our time: “Life is not over ‘till it’s over, and it is never over!”Did you know that among all of the horrific acts of violence that have occurred on our planet also includes the account of an innocent man who lived within the Roman Empire who was methodically beaten, spit on, and executed over a six-hour period? There was no bullet wound, but instead a well-orchestrated killing that was meant to inflict the worst suffering possible on a human being.The murderous act committed by the Roman legions toward a man named Jesus is just as outrageous as the act committed by a crazed murderer in Las Vegas. And, both of these events took place in a climate of passionate and fearful political and religious toxicity. But, while the violence will continue, life is not over. It is never over.It is never over because the man who was brutally executed by the Roman legions rose from the dead and made it very clear that, You are loved and there is life after life. His resurrection proved his point. And he also said that, “If you believe in me, you will never die.”Do you believe this? Do you think - could you believe this? I do. And because of my confidence in this man’s resurrection, I grieve but I grieve with hope and I can rest knowing that
life is not ever over ‘till it’s over, and it’s never over.This is Terry Sanford Smith coaching because your life, your story matters.Photo by Mike Boening on Unsplash.
