Dan and I were at our favorite Mexican restaurant when we noticed that our usual waitress, the manager's sister, wasn't there. At the end of our meal, Sergio came up to us and tearfully told us that his sister had passed away - suddenly, without illness. She had a major heart attack and was gone. We were stunned because she was younger than either of us and had been laughing and talking with us just the week before.
As I was telling a friend about it, she told me that a friend of hers had just lost her husband. They are both in their 30s and were seemingly in good health. He went to bed and in the morning was gone.
My girlfriend and I were discussing the brevity and uncertainty of life, and it led us into the discussion of wasted days. So many people we know have spent too many days in self-righteous anger, bitterness or unforgiveness. We've adopted the presumptuous attitute that we have lots of time. We simply procrastinate, waiting for the other person to make the first move toward reconciliation. Unfortunately, that's not the Biblical way. God says we shouldn't wait and won't even accept our worship of Him unless our hearts are right. Even if the other person is at fault God demands that we leave our gifts at the altar & make peace with our "brother" (doing all that we can to "fix it") before coming to Him. He doesn't care about our innocence or guilt, or about whether the other person accepts our attempts or not. He says to go make peace.
Nancy Messler started her ministry with the quote "Why do I have to be the first one to change?" The answer simply is that she wasn't, and neither are we! God was the one who initiated forgiveness, though He was not the guilty party & though He knew many would reject His offer. He loved us and gave His best while our hearts were still far away. He didn't stand on His righteousness, innocence, or "rightness". He stood on the principles of love, mercy, & grace. His love gave it all, His mercy paid it all, and His grace covers it all. Our job is just to receive it all! And once we have, then we pass it all to those around us, whether we think they're deserving or not. In that way we fulfill God's command that freely we have been given, so freely now we must give...
Don't waste another minute, another day! Lay aside all self-righteousness or pride and go to those whose relationship with you is strained, broken, or scarred. Do everything within your power to heal that breach, and do it now. They might not have tomorrow, & you might not either!
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