Ending the day well

Just as we like to begin the day well, we should also like to end the day well. That is always the ideal we want to pursue, though many, if not most times, we fail to do so. And the problem is actually because we do not know what ending the day well is.

For many of us, ending the day well usually means that there should be no problem that would weigh heavily on our mind and heart as we go to bed. This, of course, is not realistic, since especially nowadays life is full of challenges, issues, difficulties, etc. We simply cannot cope with all of those.

If our criterion for ending the day well is that there should be no problem at day’s end, then we will never end our day well. We need to be more realistic about this and consider the fact that usually at day’s end, there will always be unfinished businesses, let alone, problems unsolved, challenges not yet tackled.

Ending the day well, for sure, should mean that we can manage to feel good as we go to bed. There should be peace and joy, the sensation that despite the drama of life, things are resolved somehow. We should feel the sensation that we have arrived home somehow, a sense of reaching our final goal.

This can only happen if ending the day well is associated with reconciling ourselves with God regardless of how things in our life are at the end of the day. With God, everything is taken care of.

Remember Christ saying, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Mt 11,28-30)

It would be good if we meditate closely on these words so that we strengthen our faith which is what should guide us in understanding how we can end the day well, rather than our own human estimation of things.

Aside from telling us where we can find our proper rest, these words somehow tell us also that whatever we do during the day should be considered as a burden that is not only ours, but also Christ’s. Our problem is that we consider our earthly affairs simply as ours. We have to overcome and correct this wrong attitude.

Of course, the underlying problem here is that many of us do not know how to deal with God, how to refer everything to him. We often think that our earthly affairs and concerns are simply ours. If we ever go to God, it is only when we have some difficult or unsolvable problems.

Many of us have forgotten that our life, whether we are aware of it or not, is actually a shared life with God. The ideal, of course, is that we should always be constantly aware of that basic truth, so that whatever happens, even in our worst scenario, we still can feel secure that everything will just turn out right.

There would be no real reason to feel disturbed or to fall into sadness, anxiety and even depression. Even in our worst situation, like when we really have committed a big, stupid blunder, things can still be made right, because we can always say “sorry” and God will always understand and forgive us.

Remember the parable of the prodigal son. (cfr. Lk 15,11-32) The spoiled brat in the end decided to go back to his father. And the father was very happy to have him back.

Let’s strengthen our faith in the all-powerful providence of God who is always in control of whatever happens in our life. As the Book of Ecclesiastes would put it, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...” (3,1-8)