Let Us Be Quick to Love, Forgive and Reconcile

Psalm 103:15–17

“As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting…”

The people who were with us are not with us today. Many have gone away from us, and we are not able to touch them, console them, or say sorry to them.

Let us look around in our mind today: Are we harbouring a grudge or unforgiveness towards anyone? Are we not able to express our love to anyone? Have we not talked with someone from our heart, giving them time simply to listen to them? Or have we not smiled at someone for a long time?

It might be our very close family members or anyone. Let us be quick to do it. We might lose them the next moment, or we may be lost without getting a chance to repair it.

There was a husband and wife who couldn’t accept each other and were competing due to complexes. Suddenly, one day, the wife had a stroke. The husband had to rush her to emergency. She was paralysed completely. She could hear everything but could not respond. She was in the critical care unit.

The husband came back home and felt an emptiness like he had never felt before. He came to a realisation, but it was late.

There was a father and daughter. The father couldn’t understand or show his love to his daughter. The daughter couldn’t approach her father in compassion. But one day, the father passed away. Now she has just memories, but cannot hug or show love to her father.

So let us be quick. Let us leave our stubborn mind and reconcile in the present time we have now, because we don’t know what will happen in the next moment.

Let us reflect on the life of the prodigal son from Luke 15. He also fought with his dad for not giving him freedom to use the money. He grabbed his father’s money and left home. Even though his father was broken-hearted in love, he had to give him the money.

He thought that was freedom. But all his friends abandoned him when the money was finished. He ended up in the worst state, in the pigsty.

Then he realised. He was quick to respond. He ran back to his father’s house.

He expected a grumpy father and thought he would become his servant. But, to his surprise, the father was deeply waiting for his return. It was the father who ran and hugged him and restored him.

Let us see this response. What we think is that the one whom we can’t love or forgive is grumpy, might not be so. They might be waiting for your return and to embrace you.

So great is our Heavenly Father’s love too.

So let us forgive, forget, let go and love.

Let us pray,

Lord, teach us to love quickly, forgive freely, and reconcile without delay. Remove every hardness of heart and fill us with Your mercy. Amen.