…is better than two minutes too late…
It’s been four weeks tomorrow since we lost our dog, Lexie. And the several days leading up to her death were filled with questions about what course of treatment we should follow and whether we were doing the right thing or not in attempting to treat multiple symptoms that were confusing for even the most experienced vets. After reviewing blood test results, we agreed to take a series of images to see if there were issues internally that were complicating the diagnosis of her problems.
When all the dust settled, we also agreed to an ultrasound guided needle biopsy to determine if a particular mass was benign – or not. It was set for Monday morning… But the previous week and the Saturday and Sunday before the biopsy saw a severe decline in Lexie’s health – she didn’t eat and barely drank anything. Admittedly, Janet and I were beside ourselves trying to do the right thing. And we couldn’t decide what the right thing was – go forward with the biopsy or not. Watch her continue to decline – or end her suffering.
Early that following Monday morning, we decided to make a call to a friend of ours we have know for more than a decade. Traci rescues Dobermans and we not only adopted Lexie from her, we have helped numerous dogs with health issues and have helped make it possible for them to receive care. We called Traci because we have come to respect her and she always puts things in perspective for us – especially when we are so emotionally invested in an issue.
Traci made a comment about the situation that really hit home with us. She said that when deciding what to do with her own dogs, she always wanted to make sure that when the end was looming near, she would rather make the decision two days early rather than two minutes late – ensuring that she would never allow a dog to suffer unnecessarily.
That resonated with us. Both Janet and I wanted the best possible outcome for Lexie – we certainly didn’t want her to suffer but we didn’t know what the right move was. Traci helped put that in perspective for us. I think that we both knew during the call what the humane decision was… and it was the path that we followed.
The thing that tipped the scale for us was the compassion with which Traci spoke about wanting to make sure that she never made the decision too late. Of course, by now you know that I am going to tie this to a theological point. And that is making a decision to accept Christ as Lord and Savior is a decision that must be made before it is too late. Jesus promises us that eternal life is possible by professing a faith in Him and accepting the gift of salvation. Because once we die, it is too late to accept the gift God offers us.
Once again, it’s better to be two days early rather than two minutes too late! Our verse for tonight comes to us from the apostle John. The disciple Jesus loved tells us, in John 12:47, “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.”
So the choice to accept Christ is one of free will – you can accept it or not – it’s up to you. My encouragement tonight is that salvation is a gift and you can’t buy it. And it’s best accepted as early in your life as you can. Because once you do, your eternal life starts that moment. My prayer is that you will encourage people to accept Christ before it’s too late. After all, you don’t want anyone to be two minutes too late… Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace…