A Careless Mistake

It was a careless mistake that would never be made right.

We were excited! My husband and I were scheduled to host the quarterly evening social gathering of the area alumni of the medical school from which he had graduated.

Of course, everything had to be just right—the house immaculate, the food appealing and tasty, the lawn mowed and trimmed. For some reason, all these details seem to be more important when many in the group are only casual acquaintances.

As most of those who would be attending had no idea how to find our country home, I sent directions to each couple. Anticipation was high as we looked forward to spending a pleasant evening together. The time finally arrived, and so did the guests.

Each couple brought one or two favorite dishes.

The conversation flowed easily, and the evening was satisfactory and rewarding in every way. As the evening drew to a close, we gathered for prayer before everyone departed for home. It was sometime later that I was absolutely devastated to learn that in the directions I had sent to everyone, I had left out a turn onto a secondary road that was just about two miles from our home. Some of the couples who had started out to attend the meeting never arrived. I never knew who they were or how many of them had missed out on the event! Can you imagine how terrible I felt? I can only imagine the frustration and disappointment those would-be guests must have experienced. Of course, we would not have that problem today, thanks to cell phones and our trusty GPS devices. Those things were far into the future at that time.

But how much more devastating it would be if I were responsible for someone losing the way to eternal life by causing them to stumble.

On the other hand, if my life could influence someone to come to know and love Jesus, it would be the most gratifying feeling in the world.

Perhaps it would be well for each of us to examine our lives to see if we have the kind of relationship with the Lord that reflects His love to others.

It is the least we can do and the best we can do.

Eternal life may be at stake, for others and for us.

Lila Farrell Morgan