Romans 11:29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

I was always fascinated by a rather short-lived BBC series from the 1990’s.  It was called simply “Mulberry.”   Mulberry is the son of Death and Springtime.  He is appointed to escort a particular cantankerous old woman into the next world.  However, he can’t quite bring himself to do the job.  He convinces his father to give the woman a few extra months.  During that time, Mulberry helps her to live out the end of her life with gusto, a bit more happiness and forgiveness, less bitterness, and a chance to redo her relationships.

It was the theme song of “Mulberry” that might have touched me the most with strong images, sadness, and sweetness.  It says that these are “Mulberry Days.”  Whenever, I would see a mulberry tree, my thoughts of “Mulberry Days” would pop into my head.  Why?  Is there a deeper meaning at work here?

As I have reached a point deep into life’s journey, I believe I have the answer.  A particular strain of mulberry bears its fruit in the late summer and autumn.   This is much later than most berries.

Many of us have dreams deferred, hopes abated, talents wasted, and targets that have been missed.  For those who are like me, where aging has become a problem that we no longer can ignore, there still can be an expectancy that our mission in life will not go unfulfilled.

We may have chased after degrees, careers, houses, bank accounts, and estates.  We may have flittered away the hours and the years.  We may have outright missed the mark.  However, this one thing I know: the legacy that the Lord God Almighty had in store for us has not changed.

According to news articles of the time and legend, the band on the Titanic played “Nearer My God to Thee,” as the great ship slipped beneath the icy waters of the Atlantic.  I doubt if there are many that remember what those band members accomplished during their lifetime.  Yet, with their very last act, they attempted to give solace to the dying and hope to the remaining survivors.  In the process they made their mark in history and etched their place in immortality.

Some of us may well be in our Mulberry Days, but God has not changed His mind on what He wants us to do.

Psalm 51:2,3 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  (NIV)

Do doctors ever get sick?  Do mechanics ever have car problems?  Do dentists ever have a tooth ache? Do plumbers ever have a clogged drain? Do Christians ever sin?

The answer to all of those questions is: of course.  If we catch the flu, we normally wouldn’t say it was the fault of all doctors.  If a mechanic’s car breaks down, we usually would not say that he is a hypocrite.  If a dentist has a wisdom tooth coming in wrong, we would not expect him to pull his own tooth.  If a plumber has a clogged drain, we would not think indoor plumbing should be avoided.

Sometimes we think differently about Christians.  Sometimes we think differently about ourselves.  I would say in each of the above cases a real problem arose.   The person in question is not immune to those problems.  However, that person should have a better understanding of the problem and know better on what to do about that problem.

Christians do sin.  As Christians we should be well aware when we do.  We should also go to the One who can diagnose our issues, the One who can forgive and restore and help mend our ways.

John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Sometimes it seems like we are taught that God sits up in heaven with some kind of huge bug zapper waiting for us to make a wrong move.

Zap! (They shouldn’t have done that).

Zap! (He shouldn’t have thought that).

Zap! (She shouldn’t have been there).

Don’t take this wrong.  There is truly a time of judgment and there is a reckoning (both on earth and beyond).  However, God’s desire is that none perish!  This is the very reason Jesus came to earth.

As Christians, we should be Christ-like as much as possible.  The Bible tells us that we should have indignation with sin.  We should have an earnest concern and readiness to see justice done. (See 1 Corinthians 7:11).  We also must note that Jesus said the weightier matters of the law are justice, mercy, and faith.  Where darkness abounds, grace abounds much more.  If these are the ideals of Jesus, as Christians should they not also be ours?