We must never pass up an opportunity to extend a kind word, praise, thanks or recognition for those with whom we interact: loved ones, immediate family members, our ecclesial family members, friends, and relatives. God is love and I Corinthians 13 tells us what we must do to emulate the love of God in all of our interactions: we must be patient, kind, not jealous, not arrogant or rude, not insisting on our own ways, not irritable or resentful, and not rejoicing at wrong, but rejoicing in right. What joy it is to our Heavenly Father when our relationships are built on His commandments.
No later regrets
When we have our relationships right before God, then when death does strike unexpectedly, such as can happen in numerous ways in this day and age, it is easier to move through the grieving process. We will have no regrets that we didn’t do the right thing to the person who has fallen asleep. There will be no unfinished business.
Posthumous, psychological autopsies that include correcting unfinished business are most difficult. The other person, now gone, can no longer be there to work through unfinished issues with you. When this occurs, it can add unnecessary burdens to our grief process and add emotional baggage to our already exhausting grieving process.
When our relationships are right according to Romans 12:10, being devoted to one another in brotherly love and honoring one another above ourselves, we are building our characters. It is a good disciplined practice so that, as we close each day in prayer, we are able to answer God that all of our relationships are being handled according to His ways.
The past is gone
In a recent Minute Meditation (January, 2003), Bro. Bob Lloyd quoted Jan Ruhe as saying, “Do not give any time to your past, you can’t change what happened five minutes ago.” No matter how much we may want to hold on to “now,” it is going to be “was” very soon. We must learn to live in the here and now with our focus set on the joy set before us, the Kingdom of God which will soon be established right here on earth.
So, in all of our interactions, we should never let any opportunity pass by that we haven’t offered a kind word, performed a kind deed or allowed our actions to reflect the kindnesses that our Heavenly Father showers on all of us on a daily basis. We will then be less likely to have any regrets if death should suddenly strike a loved one.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One