Many times I've have said,
"I must invite this person or that person over." But we just
don't have the time right now, it seems. Sometimes we are busy with real
important things. At times the Lord will to speak to us to call, write or
visit someone. How can we know? Is there enough time left for either of
us?
Tonight, I am remembering a very dear Christian friend of many years. A
year or so ago she stopped in to see us; we had just finished eating. I
had prepared a real southern meal. Fresh turnip greens with some other
vegetables, corn bread, sweet potatoes and pork. She was real excited and
hungry. In the south we do not stand on formality. She sat down and ate.
We had such a wonderful time of fellowship and promised we would do this
again real soon. Time came and went with us all being busy with our own
lives. We still talked on the phone and often had sweet notes from her
saying she was praying for us. We always talked about when we would get
together to eat again. We were looking forward to the same good time we
had before. We all know we can't go back. We should know to savor every
moment as it comes.
Her husband had died about five years before. We knew she was a lonely
lady; although she had two grown sons. She worked a job and enjoyed what
she did. Being a very talented musician and singer she was usually in
demand for her talents somewhere. But we had a desire to fellowship with
her and had ages of time ahead of us to do so, or so we thought!
I kept feeling the urgency to invite her for that meal we had planned. I
told my husband, who also loved this friend very much; I must cook for
Elaine. So I made the call and set a date. I planned the same meal, and
she came before going to work that afternoon. We had a wonderful time of
sweet fellowship and food.
I had also invited my brother and his wife, special friends to her also.
We talked about real important things; not idle chitchat. My precious
brother was a sick man and we talked about wills and things we needed to
do.
As she was leaving, my Sister-In-Love asked to make a picture her, my
beautiful brother and me. This was mid-April. That picture is a real
treasure now. That was the last time we saw our dear Elaine.
On Saturday night in May, before Mother's Day, she phoned me and we talked
about 45 minutes. We could always find something important to both of us
to talk about. I ask her opinion on some things and she needed help with a
problem. She said she was spending the day with one of her children the
next day. She was very excited, as she would get to see her only
grandchild.
On the Monday following she started to work, someone ran a red light and
hit her. She was pinned in the car. The rescue unit leader, that came, was
a member of our family. He talked to her as he worked hard to get her out
of the car.
As they were traveling to the hospital, he asked, "Do you know who I
am?"
She said, "Yes, Steve, I love you."
They reached the hospital; as they were carrying her down the hall she
said, "I'm going to die." Someone answered her "Oh no, you
are going to be all right." They thought she would be.
In a very short while, she went into cardiac arrest and was gone
immediately to be with the Lord.
II Corinthians 6:2 (in part) tells us; behold, now is the accepted time;
behold now is the day of salvation.
Sometimes we put off accepting Jesus as our Savior till it is too late.
Do You Have the Time? Is It Later Than We Think?
