My wife had not been able to walk without panting and struggling for breath in a month, but yesterday she got up and walked and didn’t even breathe hard. It was simply amazing and I praise God from whom all blessings flow. She is scheduled to be released from the hospital this morning and I’m looking forward to getting her home whereby she can get some quiet rest.
I saw a friend in ICU whose loved one’s fortune did not turn out so well. Her family was still up in the ICU waiting room grieving the next day even though their beloved had passed away at 11 p.m. the previous night.
It made me stop and think I tell you.
When they received word that Teresa had massive blood clots in all four of the lobes of her lungs and that she might not survive the surgery required to save her life, two of my sons, their wives and my grandkids, and my wife’s sister and husband quickly left home and drove to the hospital to see her.
I was thinking that but for the grace of God our family could have suffered a similar situation and it could have just as easily been us sitting in that waiting room mourning.
It has been said that “sometimes we don’t know what we have until we lose it”. I vividly remember my father calling and telling me that my mother was in a coma with no chance of surviving. She had not been sick or displayed any symptoms until one morning when she had a severe headache that was so excruciatingly painful that she went to see a doctor. When she walked into his office she collapsed. She was brain dead and on a ventilator at the time I arrived at the hospital and she died shortly afterwards at just 52 years old. I never got the opportunity to tell her I loved her and/or say my goodbyes.
Today would be a great day to tell your loved ones that you love them. In fact if they have not received Him, it would prove to be an ideal time to tell them about the love of Jesus. I asked my friend at ICU if her relative had accepted Christ and she said yes.
I said then she is walking on streets of gold and probably viewing the crystal clear river of life with Jesus at this very moment. She smiled widely and reflectively said: “Yes, yes I believe that”.
Another of my friends lost his father this week and the viewing will be conducted Monday with the funeral scheduled for Tuesday. His dad was a stalwart Christian and everyone who knew him was aware of his love for Jesus. Just imagine what it would be like to attend his funeral if he was not a believer in Christ. Those are the saddest funerals there can be because time has run out and there is no hope.
“Sometimes we don’t know what we have ‘til we lose it” applies to the loss of Christ in the unbeliever’s life for all of eternity. Selah . . .
Receive Christ and tell Him you love Him today and do the same with all of your relatives, won’t you?
Have a great weekend and go to Honey Lake Church or somewhere this weekend.
2 Cor. 6:2
Look, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.
August 28, 2015 – Click here to listen