For Ladies

Feeling Remorse

Ginny Lallance

In the summer of 2005, we took two of our grandsons on vacation with us. On one particular day Grandma, Curtis, and Alex went on an excursion, leaving Grandpa at the car with our dog, Mallee. The three of us were gone a considerable length of time, but, other than being hungry, Grandpa didn't seem to mind the wait.

Now we move on in time to the spring of 2006. Our son related a recent conversation he had had with Curtis. Thirteen-year-old Curtis came to him with tears in his eyes and something heavy on his mind. It seems Curtis had been thinking about his Grandpa and realized the boys did things with Grandma more often than with Grandpa. He felt perhaps Grandpa didn't know how much he loved him. He told his dad, "From now on I want to spend more time with my Grandpa every chance I have." (It may be difficult since we live in West Virginia and Curtis lives in Texas.)

After being told of this incident, I began to think that, at times, we Christians might do much the same in our relationship with Christ. How many times do we find ourselves putting various things ahead of the Lord? He tells us in Matthew 6:33 and Luke 12:31, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God." He said, in John 14:15, "If you love me, keep my commandments." Many times we go out of our way to do what pleases us but make excuses when it comes to being faithful to Him. Being faithful is not a once-in-a-while way of life. We must not neglect God's Word. Read 2 Timothy 2:15 and Acts 17:11.

In Curtis' mind, he had neglected Grandpa and felt very remorseful. He had a deep, painful regret for what he thought was wrongdoing toward his Grandpa. His tears remind us of Peter's tears as recorded in Matthew 26: 75 when he went out and wept bitterly following his denial of Jesus. The dictionary defines regretful as "sorrowful because of what is lost, gone, or done." Curtis had a feeling of sorrow heavy enough to bring about tears.

This grandmother has been taught a lesson: Do not neglect someone who loves me very much! Christ loves me so much that he gave His life for me, so I must never neglect Him. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 4, about things he could do to uplift those around him. By reading that chapter, we can glean much to put into practice in our daily lives. Look around at our young people. There are many who are doing what Timothy was instructed to do. We'll be sure to find them doing something worthy of our praise. -Route 2 Box 177, Belington, WV 26250 mrmrsl@meer.net

 

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