One more hug

I remember walking out of the room of the nursing home with the nagging feeling that I may never see her again. For a moment, I thought I should go back and hug her. Tell her that I love her. But I didn't. The family was leaving, it was getting late, and I was overreacting.

But shortly after we left, she, with joy in her heart, passed away and went home to be with Jesus and all those who had gone before. I regret not getting one more hug.

The Bible in James 4:14 tells us, "How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone" (NLT.) The most faithful person to the most articulate atheist knows that the few years of life are that few. James, however, points out that we operate with the assumption that we have tomorrow. We live as if our short lives are limitless. But like the mists, our lives briefly make an impact on everyone around us. Then, like the mist, they are forgotten.

James also reminds us that our expectations for tomorrow never work 100% of the way we expect them to. "How do you know what your tomorrow will bring?" The short end of it is we don't. We have hopes and expectations for our morrows but no control over their results. We hope to have burgers and fries for dinner on Monday and go to the movies on Friday. Those are our expectations. But tomorrow is under no obligation to honor our expectations.

James' solution is simple. So simple it is almost disappointing. First, seek the Lord. Second, go and live. If the Lord wills, we will do this and that. Seek the Lord and live to the full.

To fully live, we must accept that our time is limited. If you know you have a limit of hugs, you take everyone you get. If you know you only have a limited number of visits with your parents, you take as many as possible. Living fully aware of our limitations is the freedom to live fully.

Don't miss one more hug. Don't allow a repressed stoicism to keep your mouth from saying, "I love you." You do not know what tomorrow holds. Seek the Lord today and live to the fullest while it is today.