What seems to be a dead end for us can simply be, for God, a means to show us that without him, we are dead—and with him, the dead end becomes a doorway where meaning and joy have no end.

When we face dead ends in life, we may feel frustrated, discouraged, even devastated. While such emotions are understandable, it’s just as important to remember that they come from a narrow vision, seeing things only from our limited perspective.

God is the supreme trailblazer, the ultimate way-maker, and the supreme miracle worker. For him, the dead end that seems so pointless and hopeless to us can serve many points. Let’s consider two among them.

The first is to reveal the futility of life without God.

During the normal course of life, we may think we can do quite well without God, that we don’t need him much or even at all. However, such periods of relative flourishing are few and far between in life, and they soon give way to tougher times. Sooner or later, we encounter dead ends.

After all, if we invest all our energy in material things that bring enjoyment through our physical body, what do we do when the body loses the capacity to enjoy or even to function, as happens with old age and disease? Life without God is life lived for material things, which perish and with which we can never truly flourish.

That’s why it’s essential to see that the seemingly pointless dead end can have a valuable point, showing the futility of life without God.

Simultaneously, there is an uplifting point in life’s dead ends from God’s perspective.

When we put our faith in him and fix our vision and intention on him, trying to remember him and serve him with loving devotion, he can reveal ways that we couldn’t have even conceived.

With God, even death is not the end, for he carries our eternal soul forward in spiritual evolution, ultimately into his eternal embrace of love. So, if even death is not the end for God, the dead ends we face while alive are also not the end. The very fact that we are alive means that God is not done with us in this life and in this world; he has something for us to do.

If we keep our vision focused on him and our intentions fixed on trying to serve him, what once seemed to be a dead end will be revealed as a vista—a doorway to a life of sublime meaning and profound joy in his service, a life that knows no end, continuing throughout our lifetime and beyond, eternally with our Lord.

Summary:

  • Dead ends can be discouraging and devastating, but if we broaden our vision to see them from God’s perspective, we can find purpose in them.
  • God can use dead ends to show us the futility of life without him.
  • When we turn to him with devotion, God can transform dead ends into doorways to a life of unending meaning and joy.

Think it over:

  • What is the sobering lesson that God can teach us through dead ends?
  • What enlightening lesson can God offer us through dead ends?
  • Are you facing any dead end presently? How can seeing it from God’s perspective empower you?

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18.58 If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost.