Pastoral Letter - December 2009
Dear Friends
In our daily Bible notes some small time ago, a number of older people were asked what they would change if they could go back in time and live their lives over again. What would your answers be? Perhaps, unsurprisingly, the most common answers in the original survey were that people would have spent more time with their families, and that they would have taken more risks. Is that close to your own answers? One regret that wasn't on the list - no-one said, as they looked back on their lives, 'I wish I had spent more time at work'.
As you look back on your life so far, no matter how old or young you are, do you have any regrets? Do you wish you had done some things differently? Do you now have a very different set of priorities from those you had ten, twenty or even thirty years ago?
And as Christians, what would we have done differently, if we could have our time over again? For us, we think we would have prayed more together. Perhaps there is someone you wish you had forgiven. Maybe there is someone you wish you had spent more time with.
As we approach yet another new year, classically a time for new year resolutions for some, it is worth remembering Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 - there is a time for everything under the sun. It is also worth remembering the message that lies at the heart of Christmas and Easter and the Christian Faith ... God is a God of second chances. It is not too late to sort out those regrets. It is not too late to tell your family that you love them and want to spend more time with them. It is not too late to take that risk or adventure you have always wanted to take. It is never too late.
So what will you do with the time you have now?
May God richly bless you all,
Garry and Kelly Rollins.
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