"They are like a breath; their days
are like a fleeting shadow." Psalm 144:4 (NIV)
A few days ago, I was 'Right There' when a brother and
sister were caught in an uncomfortable moment from the pain and confusion of an
argument, old and deep and real. Probably no way the wounds could have been
patched up right there, right then, but I hope they will be and believe they
will be. Hope is a good thing.
Most of us have been in similar situations. Sometimes it takes
hard, unforgiving clarity to make the human heart understand how draining and
wasteful and useless such standoffs are in the light of eternity.
This week I had a friend who escaped death in a horrible auto
accident. I stood by my uncle's grave. And I stood by the grave of his
grandson, forever a toddler. Another friend lost a newborn granddaughter who'd
shown no sign of being in danger before her birth.
Even when the time is long, the time is short. Sometimes the
only thing that will buy today's time, otherwise wasted, is a humble heart that
will forgive, even when the forgiveness is undeserved and unasked for. It's not
easy, but Christ showed us perfectly how that can be done, and how life comes
after such a sacrifice.
Maybe today we can choose, for at least a small while, just to
be happy breathing air, to be happy being alive, while it's still not too late
to start living.
"Do everything in love." 1 Corinthians 16:14 (NIV)
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