Better is the end of a thing.
—Ecclesiastes 7:8
How true a sentiment this is, especially as we think of the sorrows and trials the closing year has witnessed! Looking back we marvel at the way we stood up against such grievous adversities, and we find ourselves saying, “Thank God, the year is ending! I will not have to travel that way again.” The end of a good life is likewise better than the beginning thereof. Starting out upon the voyage we have all of its storms to face, but nearing port, we breathe a sigh of relief. Alas, every end is not better than the beginning! Life opens with fair promise, but its “end is bitter as wormwood” (Proverbs 5:4). If the fast dying year has witnessed many a failure, and you are conscious of transgression, a frank, honest confession will cause the end of the year to be better than some of its opening months.