Without Delay

by Greg Grotewold

Irecently took my first business trip since the onset of the pandemic. I was a little concerned whether I would still remember how to navigate the challenges that travel inevitably presents. It had been, after all, eighteen months since the last time I boarded a plane. To my relief and somewhat surprise, the old routine kicked right in. Everything about the trip went as planned. Well, almost.

Early for a supper engagement on one of the evenings, I was waiting downstairs in the hotel lobby. As I was standing there, I could see a retired couple walking towards me down this long corridor. They were moving slow, unusually so. Once they got a bit closer, I could see why. The woman’s arm was in a sling, and she was carefully nursing it.

As they approached, this overwhelming feeling to engage them came over me. This feeling was not an aberration, for I have experienced countless promptings in prior travel to initiate a conversation with perfect strangers. What I did with it this time, however, was rather than allow my introversion to suppress the desire, I heeded the call. For the next fifteen minutes, the woman and I had a wonderful talk. She outlined her many physical ailments and some pain connected to not seeing her adult granddaughter on a more regular basis.

The woman left encouraged, as I could tell she appreciated my genuine interest and concern. I left torn. On one hand, I was thrilled that I obeyed the Spirit’s direction. Starting a dialogue was not nearly as difficult as I had expected. I now feel empowered to do more of it. But I only surrendered in part. He was calling me to share the gospel. I did not and could feel the guilt beginning to build.

Enter the second aberration. Past failures like this one would typically cause a great deal of emotional dissonance. The angst would start with me replaying the scenario over and over in my head. It would them morph into selfrepudiation as I identified with excruciating detail all of the various points where I could have—should have—obeyed Jesus. But I did not do that here. Instead, I went to the Lord without delay and quickly surrendered my remorse. In doing so, I could feel almost instantaneously His forgiveness and reassurance wash over me. He put Romans 8:1 on my heart: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (ESV). There is not a sweeter verse in all of Scripture on which to ruminate after a trespass.

Yes, Jesus commands me to share the gospel. Yes, it grieves Him when I do not. And yes, I too should grieve over the failure—the truly blood-bought take seriously their life’s aim of pleasing the Savior. But that does not mean I

should be stuck in some perpetual state of regret. The Lord wants me to repent and be released from such a burden so I can move forward. He is, after all, a God of great grace. “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end” (Lamentations 3:22, ESV). Because of these ceaseless mercies, I can approach Him with confidence regardless of circumstance knowing, tenderness, not judgment, awaits me (Hebrews 4:16, ESV).

The key is to do so quickly. We ought to take our sin and seek Jesus’s forgiveness without delay. There is no reason to wait—the sooner we approach Him, the quicker the mercies will flow. We will not only stave off a lot of unnecessary grief but we will be in a better position to honor the Lord for that next opportunity around the corner.

About The Author Greg Grotewold lives in Oakdale, MN, with his wife, Sandi, and their two sons, Luke and Eli. He is a deacon in his local church and greatly enjoys serving in this capacity.

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