Beyond the Bookends

If we can think about life from a very lofty perspective it might look like a story chronicled in a collection of books. Imagine those volumes, arranged in order, detailing each and every event that has taken place from the dawn of the universe to its final sunset. At the beginning and ending of that series sit bookends that provide the setting for the story. What comes before the first page and what follows the last page is all-important for understanding the story’s meaning.

What is the context for this great story? In what setting does it take place? What exists beyond the bookends that gives the story meaning?

The Bible says that God provides the context for the story of life. He was there before it began and He will be there at its conclusion.

I am God, there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning

Isaiah 46:9

What exactly is God referring to when He declares the end from the beginning? God is declaring the end from the beginning of history itself – the great timeline recorded in the books and held together by the bookends! In essence, God is saying that He is the bookends that hold the whole of history together. If that is true, how should it affect the way we read the story?

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. – Jesus Christ

Revelation 22:13

This blog is about viewing life from a wide-angle perspective. Often times we focus so much on the books, the stories of life, that we fail to consider the context in which they are found. For example, some focus so much on the material world because of its order and laws that they forget to question the source of those things. We can easily become so focused on the trees that we lose site of the forest.

Either everything in life is meaningful or everything in life is meaningless – and it is all determined by what is found beyond the bookends!

My goal is to write about topics that lift our eyes upward and encourage a big view of God and life. I want to always be thinking about the big picture and how the bookends we accept impact our day-to-day lives.

I hope you enjoy the content on this site! It is the product of a Christian believer working out his faith through contemplation, study, and writing. I am content to know that I do not have all the answers, but I believe that enough of the answers are evident to fully place my trust, my hope, and my life in the ever-faithful hands of the “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” Jesus Christ.

– Michael Garland