All's Well That Ends Well

We had a bit of a scare the other night...

My wife calls her dad just about every night. He recently turned 80 and his health is not the best. Add to that the fact that he lives alone. My wife is incredibly faithful to call and chat for jus a few minutes virtually every evening.

It's not too unusual, though, for them not to connect on occasion (he doesn't exactly sit at home waiting for the phone to ring). Sunday night was one of those occasions, and we didn't think anything of it. When she couldn't get hold of him on Monday (after trying for a couple of hours), she thought it wise to give her sister a ring (she lives nearby and their dad frequently goes by her house). Her sister usually talks to him every day, too, but she didn't think anything of it when he didn't answer Monday. When my wife and her sister compared notes, though, they realized nobody had talked to him for over 24 hours.

Given his medical issues and a history of falls, there was some serious concern going around. My wife's sister and brother (who also lives in the area) headed over to the house to check on their dad. Fortunately, they found him sleeping soundly in his chair, the TV blaring away. As it turned out, the phone wasn't working in the room he was in. The next nearest phone never stood a chance of being heard with the TV volume set where it was--especially once he dozed off.

So, "all's well that ends well," and, in this case, it ended very well. The hard truth for all of us, though, is that one of these days it's NOT going to "end well"--at least not in a physical sense. It reminds me of the story of the good shepherd, the one who left his 99 sheep to go find the 1 that was lost. Our concern for my father-in-law pales in comparison to God's love in seeking out a world that has turned its back on Him. Just as my wife's siblings went looking for their father, so, too, God sent His only Son to "seek and save that which was lost"--to bring us back to Him. Sure, our bodies will one day die, but things can still end well, VERY well, if we respond to His great love in the person of His only Son, Jesus Christ.

So how will it end for you? Well.....or not?