One morning earlier this week, I was peacefully sitting in my car enjoying my senior coffee and breakfast sandwiches while listening to the news on the radio, mostly about the evil occurrence in Las Vegas. A commercial for a financial institution came on and suddenly without any warning six words smacked me right between the eyes and stimulated that sometimes vacant space between my ears. Those words were, “Because too late comes too soon.” Those words literally sent a chill down my spine. Those who are much younger may slough off those words and think, “I will get around to it someday.” But I know that someday will come and go before they realize it, just as it has for me.
Have you heard it said that when you are dying your whole life flashes before your eyes? Well when I heard those words everything in my life that is now too late for me to achieve seemed to flash before my eyes and it was shocking. It is too late for my professional baseball career. (Actually it was too late for that when I discovered I lacked talent.) It is too late to spend my money wisely and plan for a comfortable retirement. It is too late to protect my knees from wear and tear. It is too late to lose weight by exercising. It has even become too late for me to walk more than one city block without sitting to rest my legs. But not all of my regrets are about physical pursuits. It became too late years ago for me to tell my mother, father and my step mother what a positive influence they had on my life. What is most painful to me is the fact that it is too late for me to once again squeeze my wife’s hand, gently kiss her and tell her how much I love her. Too late has come far too soon.
One of the saddest stories Jesus told was the story of the greedy landowner who had a bumper crop and instead of sharing his good fortune he decided to build bigger storage barns so he could relax and live the good life off of his stored wealth. But his life came to an unexpected end and it became too late for him. (Luke 12:16-21) Jesus concluded by reminding us to store spiritual not physical wealth.
When I was very young, a song by Louis Prima and Keely Smith told us, “Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think. Enjoy yourself, while you’re still in the pink. The years go by as quickly as a wink. Enjoy yourself. Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think.” Those words have much more meaning to me now than they did back then.
I have watched the heartbreaking slide show with information and photos of the 58 fatal victims of the Las Vegas shooting and I am stunned and saddened by how young and full of life they all were. It is now suddenly too late for them and for their loved ones. But it is not too late for us as long as God gives us breath and a heartbeat.
For the rest of my life (however long that may be), I intend to concentrate on what I can do. Whether it is writing God’s wisdom and words of encouragement on this blog; being there spiritually for my brothers and sisters in Christ; or simply brightening someone’s day. At the drive-up window when I picked up those breakfast sandwiches and coffee that morning, I told the cashier that her smile brightens my day and then I watched as her smile became even bigger and brighter. That is what I can do.