Life is a journey, with neither a marked beginning nor a distinct ending, for God has known each of us before we came to be and the essence of our life, our spirit, will live beyond time and place with and in Him. We exist in differing forms, both material and ethereal, both within time and beyond and how we choose to live, the paths we choose to take will, as Robert Frost wrote in The Road Not Taken, make all the difference.

Throughout our journey of life we will be faced with many challenges and obstacles to overcome. Some will present themselves as opportunities that require choosing between one direction or another, others will arise as barriers, suddenly or abruptly closing or shutting off options or paths.

Meister Eckhart tells us that “God’s exit is her entrance” which is to say that when we are faced with an ending in life, a new and often unexpected beginning will open to us. Or as Matthew Fox writes “The death of a loved one, the death of a relationship, the death of a dream: these are endings, but the hollow spaces left behind are openings, too.” Certainly we all have experienced one or more such endings and found that the emptiness left behind has been refilled with something new and good. Different, yes. Better, perhaps. But whether better or simply different, the void left by the ending is quickly filled with the entrance of something new.

God is like that. When God in one form exits your life, He cannot and will not leave you empty and alone. God makes a new entrance and fills you with God anew.

Recently a young mother, newly divorced, was traveling with her two children when the older one became seriously ill, requiring a short hospital stay. Desperate and feeling alone, she was overwhelmed with all that was happening to her and her family. It was a dark and stressful place and she despaired over what to do. At her lowest, she drove herself to a nearby church and asked for someone to pray with her.

Sitting in a pew in the quiet presence of God, she poured out her anguish to God and to the minister who sat with her and listened silently to her words. Slowly the tears subsided and she stopped speaking for a moment. Then, looking at the minister beside her she said “I’m ok now. I know that I have been trying to do too much on my own and not giving God a chance to help. I know that He loves me and my children and that if I let Him He will show me what to do. Thank you for listening.” Then she left and drove away.

We all have those moments, endings that occur before new beginnings. Often the endings can dare to overwhelm, to cause us to doubt ourselves; to doubt that God loves us and desires only what is good for us. We are sharply focused on the ending because it is powerfully present in that moment; it surrounds us and invades our senses. The new beginning has yet unfolded, beyond our ability to perceive or comprehend. But remember that “God’s exit is her entrance.” Let God begin in you.