There are a handful of moments in gaming history that are forever etched in my memory for being undeniably shocking and painfully unforgettable… and (spoiler alert) the sudden ending of Aerith’s journey at the conclusion of disc one in Final Fantasy VII stands as one of the most prominent. While this is hardly the first time (or the last time) that I experienced a gaming character “moving on”, this one hit especially hard because of how unnecessary it felt at the time. But despite my disappointment at this unwanted plot twist, there were still two more discs left to complete… while this action couldn’t be prevented or undone, after respectfully mourning her loss it was time for me to move forward in hope and finish the story. 

Throughout our lives, we will all be faced with tragic events that threaten to steal our hope, break our spirits, and stall our journey. And while it is right for us to pause and mourn these losses, they don’t represent the conclusion of our story… just the end of this “disc”. As King David found when he was praying through a heartbreaking tragedy of his own, our loving Father sees and catches every tear that we cry… and even though He doesn’t always intervene the way we would prefer or reverse what has happened, the Lord has at least two more discs of content for us as well as an ending that will make this all worth it.

You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book? Psalm 56:8

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4

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