Get Prepared! No Time Like The Present

My husband's Father died early Sunday morning two weeks this coming Sunday. Curtis' mother called to let us know about seven in the morning. We weren't even aware that he wasn't feeling well. So sudden. So unexpected. No time for good-byes. No time for last words. No more time. His life that had transpired prior to that morning was it. Done. No do overs.

Not sure if you are all aware of the history Curtis has had with his Dad. His Dad was pretty abusive mentally, emotionally, verbally, as well as physically to Curtis most of his life. Not only to Curtis but to his Mom and siblings as well. The verbal and mental abuse that his father dished out on a daily basis was bad. It was a very sad way to live for all. It took several years and God's help for Curtis to come to a place of forgiveness. Ten years to be exact. Praise God he was able to forgive his father several years ago and tell him so. When we were there in Kansas a year ago at their home you could see that his Dad had come to respect Curtis, seeking his advice on their roof repairs and even was actually very nice to both of us. When his father was a young child, we were told he had accepted Christ into his heart. Yet unfortunately, like most believers, he had backslid. At least this is what we believed from his actions and words. We had been praying that his father would come back to Jesus and accept our Lord as his Savior for his life and change his ways. Only God knows if he did. As sad as it was to hear of a sudden death of a family member, it does give us comfort that Curtis was able to lay down all the bitterness and anger he had towards his dad and forgive him prior to his death. I am grateful for the work that God has done in Curtis to have helped him get to that place in his life. Since forgiving his father, Curtis has experienced an incredible sense of peace and joy. The strong hold of resentment, bitterness, and anger that kept him in bondage is no longer there.

Not so for my younger brother. Many of you are probably not aware I have a younger brother. He actually lives about 2 miles from us and about 10 miles from my Mom. Almost 15 years ago my brother and my parents had a disagreement over a loan he had with them. My brother had taken a loan out 10 years prior and never made an attempt to pay it back. My father at the time of this disagreement was very sick and his medical bills were piling up. My parents asked my brother for a payment so my father could get a new lift chair that he needed. Several ugly words and threats from my brother and his wife to my parents including stating that if they were forced to repay this loan my parents would never see them or their son again. This is what happened. Since that time, my brother has had another son that my mother has never met. Many, many attempts came from my sisters, brother and myself to help mediate this situation with our younger brother and our parents to no avail. Soon after this happening with our parents, my brother and his wife cut off all communication with his entire family. A few weeks before my father died, my brother and his wife did go and see my father in the nursing home and brought their sons. This was great for my Dad. My Dad pleaded with them to reconcile with our Mother and his family, to forgive and to move towards reconcilation. It was his last wish. At my Father's funeral my brother came, stood in line to meet those who came to pay their respects but he nor his wife spoke one word to our Mother or to any of his siblings. Not one. How sad. It broke my heart. See what a hold bitterness and anger has on him? Because of my brother's bitterness, anger and his unwillingness to forgive, his son's will never know their Grandmother, their Aunts, their Uncle, their cousins, or their history that their names carry. My nephew's have been robbed of so much joy because of my brother's bitterness, anger and not being able to forgive. Most importantly it has robbed my brother of an incredible peace and joy that only God can give when choosing to forgive. Curtis & I pray often that my brother will find a way to let go of his anger, bitterness, and that he will be able to forgive, to make amends, to move forward, and to give it all to God before Mom is called home to be with Jesus. My brother needs to do this before there is no time left. Before his or her time comes. Before there is no do overs any more. Before it is too late.

I guess my point in the two examples above is that none of us know when our time is up or when we will be called home. None of us know when we are with someone if it will be for the last time or not. We might not get the do over with them. We might not have a chance to make amends, to forgive, or just tell each other how much they mean to us. Through out the Bible our Lord tells us we need to be prepared. We need to be ready. None of us knows the time of His coming. No one knows when our time on this earth is through. We need to prepare for our homecoming. We need to be ready. We need to do it.

How do we get prepared? How doe we get ready?

First and foremost you must ask Jesus into your hearts and declare Him your Lord and Savior.

Second - Don't wait another day to make amends and lay down your bitterness you have towards anyone. Ask for forgiveness or offer forgiveness. Asking someone I have offended or hurt for forgiveness is easier for me than forgiving. It hurts me to think that I have offend, hurt, or was unkind to someone with my words or actions. I know personally how that feels when it happens to me. I don't want anyone to hurt the way I have. However, sometimes I am not even aware I have offended or hurt someone. I pray each day the prayer found in Psalms 139 23-24 -"Search me, O God, and know my heart: test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way of everlasting." In praying this I put my trust and know that God will bring to light the people I have hurt, offended or those I need to make amends to. If I have offended any of you reading this, I am sorry and hope you can forgive me. Like I stated earlier, many times I am not aware that I have. It really does hurt me when others hurt, especially when I have caused it.

Third - Forgive. How can you expect to be forgiven by our Father God if you don't forgive others yourself? God has forgiven us when we come to Him, so we must forgive others. We aren't greater than God. He is our Lord and we are to strive to be like Him. Christ died on the cross so that our sins would be forgiven and we could come to the Father. We must forgive.

With that said, forgiving is hard to do. I know. It took me a long time to be able to forgive my ex-husband for the things he has done to me. I wanted to forgive him, but he has done and said so many mean and hurtful things that it was just really hard for me to lay the bitterness down. It wasn't until a very wise and Godly mentor of mine told me that I needed to look at forgiveness like Jesus did when he was on the cross. Jesus said "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." How awesome is that? Jesus was tortured horribly by the people he was asking forgiveness for. Jesus went through so much more than I ever have, yet He was able to forgive. He could see that those who condemed Him did not know any better. He wasn't bitter or angry. He was filled with love towards them and wanted forgiveness for them. When I started to meditate on this, I realized that my ex really didn't know any better in what he ws doing as well. He really doesn't understand God's ways. His motto was always-don't get mad, get even. He just didn't know any better. And than it dawned on me; how could I expect to be forgiven of my sins if I couldn't forgive? (see above) I took the steps of forgiveness by praying for my ex, laying the bitterness down, and asking God to forgive him, for he didn't know what he was doing. I asked God to forgive me too for not being able to forgive sooner. I still need to take these steps each and every time someone judges me today for my past sins. Does this hurt when this is done? Yes. Is it hard to forgive? Sometimes. However, God gently reminds me that those who judge me truly do not know the majesty of His grace. That by forgiving them I am exercising His grace. I know first hand how amazing His grace is. Those that judge me or are unkind know no better. I must forgive! Isn't that what was Jesus' last lesson from the cross was all about? Is it hard to forgive? Absolutely! But by the Grace of God all things are possible, even forgiving those who have wounded you in any way.

Finally - Get your life lined up with God's Word. Get your house in order, so to speak. Seek the Lord and what His path is for your life. Proverb 3:6 says "In all things acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy path." How can you do this? You need to immerse yourself into His Word. There is an awesome Bible called the Life Principles Bible that Dr. Charles Stanley has written. It is a Bible that is easy to read, understand and where you are able to read the whole Bible in a year. Each day you get passages of scriptures from the Old & New Testaments, Psalms, Proverbs, along with Christan insights for daily living from Dr. Stanley on how to live your life according to God's will. I highly recommend it. Getting yourself immersed in God's Word is what is most important to maintain a healthy relationship with our God and help you live your life each day according to His purpose.

Don't wait another minute. Start making preparations. Not tomorrow, not next week, but now! Now is the time to get prepared. We prepare to go to work, we prepare a meal, we prepare for special events in our life, we prepare...the list could go on and on. Most importantly we must, MUST be prepared for when our time comes to meet our Lord. Make amends, forgive, let go of the bitterness, anger and the other chains that bind you. Let those know around you how much they mean to you. Live the life that God has planned for you. Our time may be up within the minute, hour, day, week, month, year, who knows?? Only God does. He tells us we must be ready. We must be prepared. Don't wait! This is a biggie!! All the other things in this world and our lives are no biggies. Get prepared. Be ready.

Love ya all! Have a truly blessed day!

Robyn