Life has a way of taking unexpected turns. This point was once again brought to the forefront in my life a few days ago, as a very close friend, suddenly and tragically went to heaven. He was a man in good health, his life was really having a positive impact on other people, he was being used of God, then suddenly he was gone.
The Bible tells us in Proverbs 27:1 “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” The word of God is so true. None of us know what a day will bring. Life changing moments happen all the time. Many of them catch us completely off guard and unprepared for the aftermath. The pain associated with loosing a loved one is debilitating. There are days you just wish the world would stop and you could just sit and cry. Other days you get through, but not without grief gripping your heart.
The thing for us to remember is that we need to keep short accounts with those around us. We won’t always have each other. We need to be willing to ask for forgiveness when necessary, and grant forgiveness when someone asks for it. There may come a day when the opportunity is gone, then we must deal with feelings of guilt. I thank the Lord that may last words to my friend were, “I love you brother,” as we parted company, never to see each other again this side of heaven. I have no regrets in my relationship with him other than I wish I could have spent more time with him. Isn’t that always the case though?
When my father passed away, I had some unresolved issues with him. For what ever reason I never bothered to deal with them while he was alive. However, some time after his passing these feelings started revealing themselves in my life. This had an effect on many of my close relationships, especially with my family. With my dad gone, what was I going to do? I decided to go to my dad’s grave, I sat down and had a one sided conversation with him. I know he wasn’t there and he couldn’t hear me, however I could hear myself. The things I talked about helped me to deal with the negative emotions and unforgiveness that I harbored in my heart towards my dad. It was as though I had a weight lifted off my shoulders that day. I granted forgiveness to someone that never asked and it healed me. I wish I would have had that conversation with him while he was still alive, but I dealt with our issues.
None of us are promised tomorrow. In an unexpected moment someone we care about could be taken from us, or we could be taken from them. We need to be people that live with no regrets. God’s people need to be willing to humble themselves and ask for forgiveness. You may say, “It’s not my fault.” That may be true, but if this post brings someone to mind, maybe you need to go to them and have a talk. The Bible teaches us if someone has something against us we are to go to that person and get it right. The Bible also tells us that if we have something against someone else, we need to go to them and get things right. Either way, it is up to us to make the first move towards forgiveness. No one says it will be easy, just right. It will bring healing and we will have no regrets should the unexpected suddenly happen.
Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”