Prolepsis is when something is represented as existing now before it actually occurs. The idea, then, is this: the way a story ends can retroactively—that is, go back in time—and literally inject additional value into a prior event. Think about how some of your favorite stories or movies have ended. I suspect how the story ends makes a significant difference in how you interpret, feel and understand prior scenes of it, as well as the movie as a whole. Again, if Ole Miss won the game, Valpo fans would have felt very different about Coach Drew’s shot and the game overall.
The good news for Christians is that we know how the story ends. Death doesn’t have the last word; God will ultimately triumph over evil and will create a new heaven and earth wherein perfect harmony, justice and happiness will be enjoyed forever (Revelations 21). The ending of the Christian narrative also includes a time when Jesus will evaluate how we lived our lives on earth. This future “awards ceremony” (2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 25) can do tremendous work toward helping us discover the hidden value embedded in our vocation (in general) and daily workday successes (in particular). Proactively thinking about the temporal value of one’s work, coupled with the ultimate value (which the very same work retroactively receives) can provide us with countless benefits. For starters, it can significantly increase the value, purpose, meaning and motivation for performing successful actions at work. Therefore, God can significantly influence how we think, feel and interpret our present experiences and circumstances at work. (All the ultimate value we’ve accrued will one day be rewarded and experienced!) Indeed, with the right eternal perspective, it can very well increase our degree of happiness experienced at work!
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1 Joshua Seachris, “Death, futility, and the proleptic power of narrative ending,” Religious Studies, 47 (2011): 141-163.