Too Late

"Too Late". They are the saddest two words in the English language, yet they have echoed the sentiments of many individuals.

They are: neither racial, gender, nor socio-economically motivated. They are the words spoken by a wife or husband contemplating divorce, by couples ending a relationship, the heart - wrenching words heard by family members when a loved one has passed on, the words spoken by a teacher to a student who slaved all night to finish that term paper which will account for half of his or her grade.

No matter where they may have originated, these words have brought much sorrow to mankind. Adam, after having sinned in the garden, was probably the first individual to receive this bad news. So, from the creation until now, man has been the victim in this display of hopeless emotions.

When it has been determined that it is too late, there is no hope for recovery. A young father of an eight year old is the vice president of a local firm. On the day of his daughter’s recital, he has some important clients stopping by which will not only be good for the company, it will increase his salary as well as his position in the firm. While entertaining the clients he glances at his watch and notices that it is 6 P.M. "I have 1 hour before she performs " the young man thinks to himself. About 30 minutes later, the young man offers his apologies for having to abort the meeting and rushes off to the recital.

When he arrives, he is greeted by the receptionist and given a copy of the program. After being seated, he glances at his watch and notices that it is 7 P.M. "I made it in time," the young man says to himself. Within seconds, he discovers that his daughter has already played her piece and is seated backstage. The young girl at the piano is the last one on the program.

As he is being escorted backstage, the father hears the cries of his little girl and the roses in his hand seem obsolete. Though he came, brought roses, hugged his little girl and told her how sorry he was, the fact that he was too late for his daughter’s first recital would haunt him the rest of his life.

A man and his wife are in a terrible accident and the wife is badly injured. She is airlifted to the hospital and her condition is listed as critical. The husband arrives at the hospital at the same time the helicopter lands. He rushes to the emergency entrance only to find that though he made it at the exact time she arrived, it was too late. His wife died in flight. Imagine the horror this man must have felt. He was not there to hear her last words, to see her for the last time, to hold her hand, nor to tell her that he loved her and would be there for her. And now, she is gone and he will never be able to let her know how much she meant to him. Sure they had enjoyed 25 glorious years together, but it was too late for him now.

The Bible has many warning signs regarding lateness. Consider the following examples Jesus gave concerning this: There were ten virgins; clean, pure, women who had made the conscious decision to marry before having a sexual encounter. Though all of them were saved, five of them, according to scripture, made the wise choice of taking the oil of enlightenment along with them (they had not forsaken their first love and devotion to their God). The other five, however, had allowed the cares of the world to rob them of their devotion, much like the church of Laodicea, that John, the Revelator, spoke of (See Revelation 3:15, 16).

So when the bridegroom came, indisputably, the time to show and tell, the five foolish virgins realized that they were not ready. Consequently, those who were ready went in, and the door was shut.

Although the five foolish virgins enjoyed a glorious beginning, their end was catastrophic. They arrived, but it was too late. Jesus command to us is to watch therefore, for we know not the day or the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:1-13).

Being too late is not only self-destructing, it is also costly to others. During a race, if one runner arrives too late, the entire team suffers. The same can be said for any competition in which more than one individual participates.

On the contrary, one instance in which Jesus was thought to have arrived too late brought about a miraculous result. Thus was the story of Lazarus, Jesus beloved friend. Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother was sick. Jesus did not come when they requested and subsequently, Lazarus dies.

When Jesus arrives, he is met by Martha, who states, " Lord, if you had been here, my brother had not died, but more importantly, I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask God, He will give it thee" St John 11:21-22.

In other words, "Lord, it is never too late when you show up." Other instances when it seemed that Jesus was too late was the healing of Jairus daughter, the man born blind, the lame man, the woman with the blood disorder, and many others. His very words, "I am the resurrection, and the life," is clear evidence that He is supreme. For a man who possesses life can arrive when he pleases. Death has no authority over the resurrection.

While it may have been too late for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah and those people during the Antediluvian period, it is not too late for us. The scripture declares, "The day you hear my voice, harden not your heart. Remember now thou Creator in the days of thy youth. And if the Lord shall come in the second or third watch and find them watching, blessed are those servants."

He also warns against being late with words like, "If the goodman of the house had known when the thief would come, he would have watched, Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not" St Luke 12: 39-40. We must be ready, as our Lord has instructed. He is a God of mercy and grace, but he is also a God of judgment. Never, ever let it said, it’s "Too Late".

By Travestine J. Wright