Turning Points
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- A major news network once had a weekly program called "Turning Point", which featured a real crime story each week, following an investigation from beginning to end.
Toward the end of the show, the announcer would say something like, "When we return, we'll show you the turning point of this story and its conclusion." They would then show a moment or a series of events that brought new clarity and direction to the story or event, and how that turning point moment changed everything.
A "turning point" is an event that changes someone's direction. We all experience them. They are sometimes called "Aha!" moments -- moments when we discover something or experience something that signals the conclusion of something and the beginning of something new.
It can be graduating from high school or college, a wedding ceremony or a new job. Turning points can also involve loss: the kind of loss that signals that we must make adjustments in order to try and move forward in our lives.
The Bible is filled with turning points. Some are positive, like the events in the Book of Exodus, when Moses leads God's enslaved people out of Egypt and into a new land that God has promised them. In the New Testament, the ultimate turning point comes with the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus, whom Christians believe God has sent to fulfill the promises of God to all people and to lead people into a deep relationship with God.
The positive turning points in our lives are worth celebrating. They help us see hope and give us courage to take new steps. The difficult turning points can also help us, although they are more challenging. Through them, we can learn to trust God more deeply and to rely on trustworthy people in our lives to
help us navigate our grief and loss.
Regardless of the turning points we are experiencing, faith tells us there is hope. The most difficult things in our lives do not have to be the end of the story. Embrace the turning points -- even the difficult ones.
Commit to God, yourself and those around you that you will allow this turning point to teach and to guide you into a new day, even if it involves grief and asking hard questions. The God who is with us during the positive changes is also there in the hard times, and this God has expressed and demonstrated willingness to guide us through all the twists and turns of life if we allow him to.
