Do it now...

      Garrison Keillor once said, "They say such nice things about people at their funerals that it makes me sad that I'm going to miss mine by just a few days." That quote seems to fit what I'm thinking this weekend. I reread a book this week that I've had on my shelf for quite a while, For One More Day by Mitch Albom.  It's a story about a guy whose life is not what he had hoped for getting the chance to get one more day with the person that loved him the most and the one he took most for granted.  This statement from the book expresses what it's about; "Have you ever lost someone you love and wanted one more conversation, one more chance to make up for the time when you thought they would be here forever? If so, then you know you can go your whole life collecting days, and none will outweigh the one you wish you had back.” 

     I wondered how many of us wish we had "one more day" with someone we love.  Maybe that someone has already died.  Maybe that someone now lives far away and is immersed in a different chapter of life.  Maybe that someone is simply estranged and is no longer close.   The circumstances may vary greatly, but the desire is the same.  If I could have just one more day then I could say how I really feel.  I could share what is most important.  If I...

     I really like the book For One More Day, but if you're looking for it, you'll find it in the fiction section.  You see, life's not like that.  We don't get to go back.  There are no mulligans or do-overs.  We have to pick up where we are and do the best we can.  That's why I think the message of this book is important and, in some ways, Biblical.  Albom seems to be saying it's not too late to tell folks that you love them and to share with them things that are meaningful.  Paul wrote to the Ephesians and to the Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor, "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32 NIV).  Paul's message is a simple one here.  In the context he's written about getting rid of bitterness, anger, brawling, slander and rage.  He wants his readers to be overflowing with kindness, compassion and forgiveness. In doing so, they become "imitators of God."  

     What is the "take away" from this devotional?  I think it is pretty straight-forward.  Don't wait until someone you love dies before sharing what is meaningful.  Talk to them today.  Write a letter or an email.  If you've lost track of someone and feel the prompting to reach out to them, do it.  Don't wait.   It is heart-breaking to see someone at a funeral grieve and plead for "one more day."  You have a day right now; today.  Use it.   Thanks for reading and may God bless....