till you're better

I've been thinking a lot about a single line in a song that we sang at church this past Sunday. It's from the fairly well known hymn called "Come ye Sinners". While the entire song is a very powerful and moving song, one line in particular really stood out to me this last Sunday as we sang the words:


Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Lost and ruined by the fall;
If you tarry till you’re better,
You will never come at all.

What really hit me was that last line about if you tarry until you're better than you will never come at all. So often in life we think we need to wait until we've gained more skill in something, made more money for something, become more comfortable in our surroundings or in the case of this song just simply become a better person or better at living life before we can ever accept the blessings that the Lord has in wait for us.

My heart aches when I think of the many people in the world who simply refuse the Lord because they believe that they must become "better" in order to be worthy of being accepted by Him. How wrong they truly are! Jesus did not die for people who are perfect and worthy of salvation. He died for sinners.

That means all mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, doctors, lawyers, photographers, artists, prostitutes, criminals, police officers, tax collectors, fishermen, the poor, the rich, the strong, the weak, the blind, the lame, the disfigured, the models, the mentally handicapped, the genius, the student, the teacher, the child, the adult, the CEO, and the homeless, the white, the black, men, women....

The list could go on and on. He died for us all. So please do not tarry any longer, thinking you must wait until you're better or you will never come at all.