it may as well have been a cubicle.
or an empty nursery.
or a rejection letter.
or a grave freshly covered with floral arrangements.

but it was a room. a small, cramped room.
filled with grief.
disappointment.
disillusionment.
fear.

and one lingering question that may have gone unspoken, but hung heavily in the air—what now?

the disciples gathered together behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders (John 20:19, NIV). Jesus had been crucified and buried in a tomb.
would one or all of them be next?
or would they simply be forgotten, left to drift back to the lives they had before as fishermen, tax collector. etc.

the past three years had been an amazing journey.
but was this as good as it gets?

would this simply be a memory, a story, they would tell their friends and families of their time with Jesus?
“remember when . . . .”
would every story start with a backward glance?
or could there possibly be more?

and while they sat in that locked room, they looked around and realized that all their fear and disappointment couldn’t stop One from entering the room.
Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said (John 20:19, NLT).

peace.
not questions.
not reprimands.
peace.

peace for fearful, disillusioned, uncertain men.
peace.
and something else . . . hope.

Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you,” (John 20:21, NLT).

it wasn’t over.
this wasn’t as good as it gets.
there would be a “more” to their lives.
not every sentence would be a reclaiming of past glory days.

if you think God’s done with you.
if you believe that the best days are memories—there’s more life to live.
whether you are a new mom dealing with diapers and tantrums.
or a man working at a job to pay the bills.
or broken by our own sin. or by someone else’s sin.
or a pastor serving in a forgotten area of the church.
or graying and wondering where you fit in a younger generation’s world.
or sick and wondering if God will ever use you again.

it’s not over.

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