Have you ever wanted to say something to someone but something has kept you from telling them? Whether it is fear or time or distance — something has been in the way of you speaking truth, life or love into that person. And then once the opportunity is past, you either shrug it off or it eats away at you.
This has happened to me recently. In Albania on one of our coffee dates with the students, I felt the need to say something, but it never happened and now I regret it. Here is the scenario. We are sitting at a coffee shop, I just got done eating a delicious white chocolate drink and am waiting for the girls to arrive. 30 minutes late, they show up, one I was expecting and then two I was not. But I was super excited none-the-less. We start out with general talk. University. Fears and expectations of first year. And then out of nowhere, this beautiful 19 year old girl starts telling us about her life and her past and next thing I know, she is in tears. I won’t go into detail, but it was touching and somewhat resembled my own personal testimony.
I wanted to stand up right then and give her the biggest bear hug ever, but there wasn’t too much room to move around in the coffee shop. So I told myself ‘later’. Talking to her some more, I heard the Lord give me some words to speak to her to encourage and strengthen her. I felt like it was more of a personal thing and didn’t want to do it in front of the group and so again I told myself ‘later’.
We are beginning to leave and I tell my translator that I have words for her. So when we go outside I was planning on doing it. I never had fear to tell her, I was super compelled to share with her, but was waiting for the ‘right’ time. We go outside and take tons of pictures as a group and solo. It has turned into a fashion shoot. By the time we look at a watch it is time to go because we are late for the Campus Crusade meeting. The girl is going to the meeting, so I tell myself ‘later’.
The meeting comes and goes. ‘Later’ never happens. We are planning on going to her dorm again. I know my ‘later’ will happen then. The dorm time comes and goes. I have one more opportunity: the next (and final for us) Campus Crusade meeting. The whole meeting I was waiting for her to show up, and she never does. ‘Later’ never happened. I missed the opportunity God gave me by making excuses and thinking I would always have ‘later’.
But as I should have learned by now, ‘later’ is not always promised.
Why wait for tomrorow what can be done today??
