“Undo” (09/04/2024)

A gift that came to us through technology is “undo.” We didn’t really have that option before. But now, we can rewind by hitting the “undo” icon on our computers. It is wonderful. It takes us back to the point before we mistyped or made our mistake. We don’t have to try to “recreate” what we had before our blunder; the “undo” button lets us return. Perhaps you’re not as prone as I am to temporarily go astray, but I do so appreciate that fellow or gal who figured out this “undo” thing and stood his or her ground until it was implemented into our technology.

And then there’s life. We can’t return to the point before our error with a simple stroke of a button. Our life is more complicated than that. We can’t simply “undo,” we must seek to make things right again. We humans struggle with that or at least I struggle with that. Sometimes it simply involves cleaning up a mess and trying again with a different approach. I do fairly well with that because I’m pretty persistent (polite word for stubborn). It is when the “undo” involves seeking forgiveness because my misstep, my error, was hurtful to another.

Our LORD’s mercy is always there. We all love the parable of the prodigal son in the gospel of Luke because we all know that there have been times when we have done the selfish thing without thought of another and we needed mercy. But the thing I’ve found that is missing at times in me is seeking out the Father. I can’t just set myself on the right path and forge ahead; I need to return to the Father and acknowledge my mistake and seek mercy and forgiveness. I need that spiritual “undo” even though it isn’t as visible to others.

And then there’s the need to “undo” the harm I’ve done to my relationships with others. It happens. And I need to make every effort to acknowledge it and to seek forgiveness from the other before heading off into the future. While the world may judge and reward us on how we handle the physical, we all know that how we handle our relationships are what will determine our future.

As we journey in life, let us use the “undo” button freely and frequently in our techie moments, but commit to doing the hard work of relationship for those life moments when what we’ve done or failed to do have impacted our relationships with our LORD and one another.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.