The Undelivered Note …

5795958 - blank note card, pen and coffee cup on wood background.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.  So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” (Galatians 6:9, 10)

The desire to write the note to the aged Christian who had such a great impact on my life was real.  The words were there in my heart, but were yet unspoken or expressed. And then the day came when upon arriving home from school and my part-time job I was told that he had suddenly passed away!  Tears were shed … and regret reigned supreme.  The well-intentioned note had never made it to the mailbox!

Have you ever been in this disappointing place?

  • How many thoughtful words have been left unspoken?
  • How many uncompleted notes have been cast aside or ultimately thrown away?
  • How many small expressions of caring and concern have gone unfulfilled?

Edgar Guest said it so well …

Tomorrow

He was going to be all that a mortal should be, Tomorrow.

No one should be kinder or braver than he, Tomorrow.

A friend who was troubled and weary he knew, who’d be glad of a lift and who needed it too; on him he would call and see what he could do, Tomorrow.

Each morning he stacked up the letters he’d write, Tomorrow.

And thought of the folks he would fill with delight, Tomorrow.

It was too bad, indeed, he was busy today, and hadn’t a minute to stop on his way; more time he would have to give others, he’d say, Tomorrow.

The greatest of workers this man would have been, Tomorrow.

The world would have known him, had he ever seen Tomorrow.

But the fact is he died and he faded from view, and all that he left here when living was through was a mountain of things he intended to do, Tomorrow.

Well-doing is something our Lord was skilled in, after all He was “God in the flesh!”  And we as His people should be striving and stretching ourselves every day to be more like Him.  Opportunities surround us and abound every day for us to be doing good, to be encouraging someone and to simply be more Christ-like.  Some of these opportunities are easily recognized while others are less noticeable.  Some are more pleasant and easy to accomplish while others require more effort and even sacrifice.

We must never fall into the trap of failing to learn from those missteps.  We must turn the missed opportunities into bridges to the present.  After all, the only time we have assurance of is right now, this moment!

The undelivered note still looms large in my heart after all these years as a reminder to stop putting off until tomorrow what needs to be done today!

“Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

 

Bill Fairchild, Jr.

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