A Word of Encouragement from Elizabeth Rice Handford
I was dismayed when I opened my front door to a woman who came to me for counsel.
Her face was a taut mask of pain and grief like I’d seldom seen. I hadn’t met her before, and I
had no idea of her need. But she could not contain her anguish.
“Help me,” she begged. “Help me take back those four words.”
“What four words?”
“The words I said to my husband last Saturday when he left for the golf course.”“Why can’t you tell him yourself that you’re sorry?”
“Because he died of a heart attack on the first tee. I said such a terrible thing to him as he
walked out the door. Oh, please help me take them back.”
I could not help her take them back. Apologies for words spoken in life could not be
heard in death. The four words she had spoken that tragic day I could not help her unspeak.
This has been on my heart because last week we buried my beloved baby sister. Oh yes,
I have grieved, terribly, but I treasure the sweet memories of our times together. My children had driven me up to Chattanooga to see the family just last month, and Joy and I had such a
sweet time of expressing our love and deep appreciation for each other. I said goodbye that
morning, not realizing it was the last time I would say it to her, and I’m grateful God gave me
that last opportunity.
So it’s on my heart to remind you that we never know how much time we have with a
loved one. If there has been neglect or tension between you and someone you love, now is the
time to make it right. If there has been a misunderstanding, now is the time to clear it up. Today
is the day to forget past hurts, past grievances. Now is the opportunity to thank someone to
whom you owe gratitude. This is your opportunity to mend a hurt, express your commitment, to
say what you would say if it you knew it was your very last chance.
Everyone enjoys a fitting reply;
it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!
Proverbs 15: 23
How important it is to give “a fitting reply,” to “say the right thing at the right time.” The
years are long. The opportunity to bless someone you love may be very short.
But, thank God, that isn’t the end of this story. That sad woman had trusted Jesus as her
Savior. She was a child of God. How glad I was to be able to tell that her gracious God in His
mercy would gladly forgive her of every word she had spoken in anger. Her husband had been a
devout Christian. Now in the presence of the Lord Jesus, he would not only forgive her, but
understand how she truly felt toward him in her heart.. When Jesus died on the cross to pay for
our sins, He died to pay for every sin of hers.
I need that assurance, because I have often failed my loved ones and my friends. Perhaps
you have as well. So take comfort, dear friend—and do today what God lays on your heart to do.
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith,
we have peace with God
because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
Romans 5:1