If Tomorrow Never Came

“If tomorrow never comes, would you know how much I love you?”  This comes from a Garth Brooks song but there is a Biblical principle in it as well.  In James 4:14 it says” Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

A close family friend of ours was having back pain for about six months. They treated the back pain but he was never given the correct diagnosis.  After the cancer was finally found he only had a short time to live.  I don’t even think it was two months.  He went so quickly.  One day, we heard it was prostate cancer, and it seemed, the the next day they were calling in Hospice.  His dear, dear wife loved on him, held his hand, talked to him.  They had some great times together during that period.  His baby girl came home and also spent some valuable time with him as well.  It was a sad but sweet time for the family and, when it was time to go home, he went straight into the arms of Jesus with the sweetest smile on his face.

But that is not the whole story.  You see they also had a son.  He had married and had children.  They had a misunderstanding/falling out a few years back and the son was determined to keep them out of his life.  When the diagnosis came, the son was told and never responded, never even came to see his daddy.  In fact, the dad’s pastor even went to go visit the son and beg him to come see his dad one last time.  The son refused.  He didn’t ever contact his dad.  He didn’t show up at the funeral.  He missed out.  The mother and sister were blessed with that time with their favorite man, but, because of his bitterness, he missed his chance.

He will never see his dad on this earth again. He still has not tried to repair the damage with his mother, and, to this day, he lives his life apart from his family.  I would like to see what happens in twenty to thirty years, when his family grows up.  Will he feel the same pain that he gave to his parents?  Will he wake up one day and say "I want to talk to my dad. OH WAIT, I missed that opportunity."  Life is a vapor, friends!  Hold your family close. Don’t go to bed angry.  Kiss and hug, giggle and enjoy life, for you never know if tomorrow will come.

A young girl got into a fight with her mom on the way to school and when she got out of the car, she yelled at her mom. “I wish you were dead.”  She got her wish.  On the way home from dropping her daughter off, the mom was killed in a car accident.  That teenage girl did not want her mom dead.  She was angry and just mouthed off.  Now, she will forever live with those words.

I love love love my boys.  If tomorrow never comes, I want them to know, that I love them. I am so grateful for the time that God has given me with them.  I could never love a man like I do my husband.  He is such an example of what God is to the church, a wonderful husband and amazing daddy!  My dear son is a gift from God; I couldn’t ask for anything more special then him.  The only thing I want for him is to find and love the Lord with all his heart and to be just like his daddy!   – Rejoicing in my present -- are you rejoicing in yours?