There’s a common phrase used to describe that people’s lives have changed over the passage of time—How it started; How it’s going. From pictures of dramatic weight loss to financial gain, the comparative pictures show that life has gotten better.

I could create a few of this memes myself but I would avoid follow-up memes where things had gone south. It’s often the Instagram vs. reality struggle. There are moments where we can muster up a photo of ourselves that looks beautiful on the outside while there’s chaos within. The attention from the comments sweeten up the reality only briefly but they diminish pretty fast.

I finished reading Ezekiel this morning and it could be somewhat explained with the meme—How it started; how it’s going. The story begins with the city of God ransacked and the people of God hauled away into exile.

All along the way God speaks clearly to his people in ways that have this purpose—and you will know that I am the LORD. Everything he said and did through Ezekiel was for this end.

Why? Because even though how it started and how it’s going were disastrous what matters in each moment is that you know the LORD. And that’s important because judgment is coming for all. And for those who know and love God there’s a magnificent ending.

The book ends like this—Ezekiel 48:35

[35] The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The LORD Is There.

His glory may have left the temple because they had broken the covenant with God but there was a path to redemption for those who turned their hearts back to him and trusted the Lord. And one day there will be an eternal—how it’s going—in the city of God and he is there forever.