John Bressler – Doing the right thing at the right time

I was watching a movie the other night and had to leave before it ended, so I have to guess what happened. The plot went something like this: a man died unexpectedly and did not leave a will explaining what his family or business had to do with his estate.

There was an alleged warning in my family – not very explicit, but strongly implied – that if you made a will you would soon die. If only families were made aware of the terrible arguments, fights and legal battles that go on with leftovers when there is no legal written guidance for them. Most of you understand the pain and separation you have experienced.

Back to history. This former wealthy businessman and family man always used his wealth to manipulate his employees and children. His world was to succeed – no matter the cost – power was to control, and the end he desired justified the means to achieve that end. For him, any method of achieving goals was acceptable.

All right. He could have died, but he wakes up in a hospital-like environment with an angelic nurse of sorts who tells him that he’s been a stinker in his life, but he’s been given a chance to make things right. He will have a week before he dies to transform from a mischievous old man into a kind old man.

Yes, this is Hollywood and yes, most of these shows have predictable, tear-jerking endings. However, it triggered something important for me.

What would I do if I discovered that I had a chance to repeat or correct all the mistakes I made in the past? First, I believe I know enough to realize that the times when I was not the man I always thought I was have created memories that I cannot erase or forget. What about times when I let people down, hurt their feelings, refused to listen, or took them for granted? What about those times when I only made it halfway and a little more effort would have made a big difference? What about times when doing the right thing got in the way of doing the right thing?

Wasn’t it Aristotle who said, “We need the ability to do the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, and for the right reason.”

The facts seem to be that we are who we are. I am who I am, and it is very difficult, if not almost impossible, to change that.

I believe the man in this story went as far as he could. My frustration and anger with this process comes when we are left with choices but also no guidance. Withstand!

Is this the life God gave us, me? Should I go through life and die, perhaps prematurely, without meaning and without a meaningful purpose?

No, I don’t think so.

The God I trusted all my life and who sent His Son to give me so much more than I deserved would not let me die as an outcast, a tragedy, a waste of time. Do you remember the fragment from the 25th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus separates the goats from the sheep?

“Lord, if we knew it was You, we would feed You, shelter You, and help You.”

Jesus replied: “When you gave to strangers, to nameless people, to those who never repaid you, who never thanked you and who might even take your kindness for granted, you gave to me. Enter into the joy prepared for you.”

We don’t earn our way into heaven. We don’t follow a list of principles that make us worthy. We cannot erase our past and create a past that never existed. We simply live every day with the knowledge: “God so loved the world…!”

God will never let us down.

Thank you, God!