The End

I have been fascinated lately by the concept of “The End.” It is unclear to me how far that really is; or if it even exists?

As eternal beings we understand that life has no end; we move from one realm of existence, into another. We live in a series of beginnings, yet somehow our finite minds forces us to see ‘the end’ of it all. We plan our lives accordingly so we can be compliant to the unwritten rule that for every beginning; there must be an end.

Today I challenge this concept, I want to shift that perspective to help people see that an end is really a beginning for a greater purpose. I have graduated a few times in my life in many things: academia, marriage and divorce, motherhood, country women at all levels of government, and spirituality. With every graduation I believed that I had reached the end, only to discover a new beginning awaiting me on the other side of the story.

My life journey has taught me that ‘The End’ comes with excruciating pain that I must overcome to get to my new beginning. All of my graduations came with hard, focused and persistent work that required more power than I had on my own. I always had to leverage on my trusted relationship with my God to carry me through. Sometimes the pain was too real that I thought it would end me. It was in that TRUST where I could see that there really was no end; but a new beginning for a better, wiser and stronger me – every time.

The intangible trust has always pulled me through “The End.” It helped me learn about the world at a level that was deeper than most people; knowing and accepting that there has to be more out there. It was about listening to my inner self, about knowing when I had fallen short of my own potential. It continues to be about understanding and taking responsibility for my own successes and failures; it is really about knowing the truth about myself. The truth that I belong to an eternal God who has no beginning and no end; but is the beginning and the end.

The Intangible lesson—Trust can be taught

We speak about trust all our lives in our different relationships with people; and I’ve heard it a million times that “trust must be earned;” but never have I heard that trust can be taught. Trust is a feeling just like loyalty and love—it is intangible, so yes, it can be learnt. Trust in the Almighty and His Word is the first step to realising that just like Him we are eternal beings; we have no end, only beginnings.

I cannot believe how naïve I have been, looking outside of myself for the answers that were always inside of me. Thank you, God, for the clarity! For the alignment within me: my heart, head and hands now move in unison. My purpose is clear, all of my endings were bringing me closer to my life’s agenda. ‘The End’ of everything in my life was always awakening the best beginning for me. I am ready; let the next phase of my truth begin.

About Thando Tshabalala

South Africa, for the first time since the dawn of democracy in 1994 has seen tremendous political instability that has translated into poor economic outlook and a looming junk status rating from the ratings agencies. My country’s political turmoil is calling me to act and affect change in the most meaningful way I know how. I have worked in the local government space for the past eight years of my life and have seen too many discrepancies against the poor, irregular spending, corruption and fraud. I have also seen great politicians that put their hearts on line every day for betterment of their communities. I want to introduce New Church views into everyday lives of my fellow country men and women. The New Church way makes a great deal of sense to me—not only because I was born and bred in the New Church: enjoying the writings and the doctrines all my life; but because I sincerely Believe. Working in government has allowed me an understanding that personal development is the only way to real economic and spiritual freedom. Real conversations about the current economic conditions in South Africa cannot and should not take place within government structures only. It is going to take really special people to affect change in South Africa, true patriots that really care about the future and the economy of our country.

6 thoughts on “The End

  1. Thank you, Thando. I wish we lived closer so we could have many interesting conversations. Thank you for sharing some of your story. I love what you say about going through the pain that feels like a death to get to the new chapter and new life.

  2. Thank you very much for this post; it meant a lot to me to read. Having just abruptly lost my husband of 33 years, this summer, I’ve been thinking a lot about real physical ends and beginnings, and the spiritual ones. What you wrote was inspiring and also gave me food for thought. Have a blessed Christmas!

  3. So profound Thando. Your article has helped come to terms with an end and embrace the new, brighter and better beginning

  4. Wow! Yes. So insightful, so humble, so powerful. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us, Thando, as we all travel our paths of beginnings and endings — and even more powerful beginnings!! <3

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