Looking Back

During the next week or so people will be making (and breaking) New Year’s Resolutions. Moving from one year to the next it is a natural time for rededication, but I think there is value in taking a brief look back.  We must not allow the past to overwhelm us with our failures or regrets, rather it can help us plan the days and months to come. 
As we spend the time assessing where we have been and where we are going we need to be thankful that we have this opportunity.  Some people who had grand plans for 2017 didn’t live long enough to accomplish their goals.  Some people who had good intentions to correct their flaws didn’t get the opportunity to get it done.  All these folks left this earth either with wasted potential or regrets.  As I thought about unfulfilled lives I was drawn to a story told by Jesus in Luke 16 about an unnamed rich man and a pauper named Lazarus.  The lives of the two men paralleled each other, but there was little interaction – at least not on earth.  It appears that the two men died about the same time.  Lazarus was blessed with the eternal comfort of Abraham’s bosom while the rich man was destined to experience torment.  Somehow the rich man was able to converse with Abraham and asked him for two favors:  First, for Lazarus to be allowed to comfort him in is distress and, when that didn’t happen, then to have someone go tell his kinsmen about his fate.  The rich man’s plea, “I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house – for I have five brothers – in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” (Luke 16:27-28).  Abraham refused the request by reasoning that if they hadn’t listened to what they already had at their disposal, the presence of a resurrected soul wouldn’t do much good. 
A lot has been made of this story (and how it applies to the afterlife), but as I reread it recently, I was struck by the sadness of lost opportunities.  The rich man could have done a lot of good while he was alive.  He could have eased burdens and provided direction for his servants and his brethren.  Yet, sadly, he didn’t and once he was dead the chance was gone.  About all he could do after his life was over was lament his missed opportunities.
Is there something we missed in 2017?  We are not guaranteed another day much less another year so today is the only day we have to day to fulfill our potential or meet our obligations.  Interestingly, what we do (and don’t do) directly effects our future eternity, but it might also impact the destiny of those closest to us.  Best wishes on your plans for 2018, but before moving forward, let’s tend to any unfinished business that needs our attention.

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