You know how this story ends.

My husband hates watching movie trailers or those “On the next episode...” previews. He says they reveal too much of the story, and he’d rather discover everything as it unfolds.

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I’m the opposite.

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I like knowing what’s coming. Whether I’m traveling somewhere new or walking through an uncertain season, I feel more at peace when I have some idea of how things are likely to turn out. The unknown has always made me a little uneasy.

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However, life, of course, doesn’t come with a preview.

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We rarely know what tomorrow holds, and sometimes today’s burdens are already more than enough to carry.

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Our family has walked through seasons we never imagined—losing loved ones far too soon, hearing the words that a child has cancer, watching homes and property be destroyed by natural disasters, and other painful chapters that left us wondering how we would make it through. The pain was real. The tears were real.

But so was our hope, and it never changed.

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No matter how dark the chapter became, we never forgot how the story ends.

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Jesus knew His followers would need that reminder when He said:

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These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

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Pain, loss, and disappointment have a way of pulling our eyes away from the finish line and fixing them on whatever is right in front of us.

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That’s why Jesus reminds us of the ending.

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Our future is secure. Eternal life is ours. One day every sorrow will give way to joy, every tear will be wiped away, and we will enjoy perfect fellowship with Him forever.

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Because we know where this story is headed, we have hope.

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And hope produces peace.

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That doesn’t mean we pretend life doesn’t hurt. We grieve. We pray. We ask questions. Sometimes we cry for a while before we can smile again. But even through the tears, we can rest in the confidence that Jesus has already overcome everything that threatens us.

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You don’t have to know what tomorrow holds to have peace today. Our peace doesn’t come because we’ve peeked at the last page. It comes because the Author has already written the ending—and His promises never fail.

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So be of good cheer. You already know how this story ends.