What WILL It Take?

Jim was dying.

Oh, we didn't know when, but it was clear that his illness was terminal and he didn't have long. As such, his son Jim Jr. wanted to make peace. There was a long list of hurts to review and no easy path to reconciliation. Still, the two were making good ground and healing was happening, one meeting at a time...

But sadly, they didn't have enough time to cover everything. Jim rapidly declined one afternoon and the next morning, he died. As a Chaplain, it was my job to help Jim, Jr. recognize that he had done the right thing and that his father had been at peace with the progress even though they hadn't completed the process.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE?

Watching this sad saga unfold, I couldn't help but think of all the "unfinished business" in our lives. Relationships that need healing, wrongs that need to be "righted," and most of all, spiritual changes that we know God has been calling us to--perhaps for years.

For Jim and his son, the catalyst for progress was a literal death sentence. For others, it's a financial crisis or a divorce, etc. But watching these two men, I couldn't help but scream inside, "WHY DID YOU WAIT?" Why should it take a devastating loss to bring us to the point of doing the right thing. Can't we use our free will to decide TODAY that we'll make amends, take action, and most of all--get right with God?

Working in hospice has inspired me to take action now. To refuse to wait to set straight the things that I know God has challenged me to fix. I'm determined not to wait and thus run out of time.

How about you? Are you willing to take action and not wait for trauma or loss to inspire you? Can you make that phone call, write that letter, pay a visit to that person you need to forgive, or ask for forgiveness? Can you launch that ministry or fight to break that habit God's been speaking to you about??

I pray you will...I know God will be pleased if you do....

To that end,

Pastor Joel