Mend A Fence

This morning my friend is grieving the loss of her brother.  He was just 34.

A little more than 24 hours ago she got a call from the hospital that he was in bad shape and family should make the four hour trip to see him.

There wasn't much hope.

By the time she arrived, he was unconscious and via the occasional Facebook post, we all shared in the roller coaster of emotions - glimmers of hope followed by bits of bad news.

Ultimately, he lost the battle.

Whenever something like this hits close to home, we tend to stop and reflect and insert ourselves into the situation.

Sadly, there is a rift between my sister and I at this very moment.  My brother lives a life on the "edge" and I haven't seen or spoken to him in over a year.  What if that had happened to one of us?  Would there be time to say "I'm sorry?" or "I love you?"

Maybe your family situation isn't as dysfunctional as mine.  Maybe your family unit is close and loving.  But I'm willing to bet somewhere in your life - relationships with friends, family, neighbors or co-workers - there's a fence that needs to be mended.

Life can change in an instant.   

Petty differences need to be resolved. 

If we're going to live a life that declares Christ, we need to practice love, repentance and forgiveness.  Before posting this, I wrote to my sister in an effort to do just that.  If I knew how to reach my brother, I'd contact him too. I don't know if my efforts will bring resolution or not, but I had to try.

Of course, we also need to share the message of salvation with those we know.  We don't want to lose them for eternity when we lose them from this life.  But they won't give us that opportunity if there are hurts between us.  

My challenge to you today is to mend a fence.  Hug your loved ones.  Tell your friends you appreciate them.  Thank a co-worker or neighbor.  Tell them about the love of Christ by showing them through your actions.  Life is short - even shorter than we expect sometimes.  Make every moment count.