You’re sitting in a movie theater, staring at a black screen. Everyone else has already left, but you can’t move. It just doesn’t seem possible that the movie is over. And yet the credits have rolled, and the lights are on, and there’s a theater attendant starting to sweep popcorn from the aisles.

Fill in the movie title here—or the book title, for that matter. Whatever the story, we’ve probably all experienced that imperfect ending that leaves us shocked, frustrated, and itching for a resolution. It can’t end that way, you think. Can it?

You might prefer stories with fairytale endings, but most of the time, it’s the imperfect endings that remind us of real life. We experience them constantly: the house or job you wanted but didn’t get. The broken engagement. The friendship that ended without warning. The journey through infertility that led to heartbreak. The loved one who passed away before you had the chance to say goodbye.

These moments remind us that we live in a broken world where stories rarely end perfectly. But God has given us the Bible, which promises a truly perfect resolution to the suffering and pain we experience in this life. God’s Word also contains comforting reminders for when we can’t see past the
imperfect endings in our lives.

Here are four truths from the Scriptures to help you focus on the bigger story of redemption promised to you in Jesus Christ.

God is all-powerful. He can turn imperfect endings into perfect ones.

We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 GNT

Even when we can’t see past what feels like an imperfect ending, we’re part of God’s bigger redemption story.

Through the Son, then, God decided to bring the whole universe back to himself. God made peace through his Son’s blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven. At one time you were far away from God and were his enemies because of the evil things you did and thought. But now, by means of the physical death of his Son, God has made you his friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into his presence.

Colossians 1:20-22 GNT

We can rejoice with hope for the future because of Christ’s work on our behalf.

Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God’s power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.

1 Peter 1:3-5 GNT

Through the Bible, God gives us a glimpse into the perfect ending he has promised us.

I heard a loud voice speaking from the throne: “Now God’s home is with people! He will live with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things have disappeared.”

Revelation 21:3-4 GNT