In the 1980s, the British band Mike and the Mechanics recorded a
powerful song titled, “The Living Years.” The songwriter mourns
his father’s death, because their relationship had been strained
and marked by silence rather than sharing. The singer
remorsefully says, “I didn’t get to tell him all the things I
had to say.” Struggling with regret over words unsaid and love
unexpressed, he laments, “I just wish I could have told him in
the living years.”
King David similarly regretted his broken relationship with his
son Absalom. Angered over David’s refusal to punish Amnon for
raping his sister Tamar, Absalom killed Amnon and fled (2 Sam.
13:21-34). David’s servant Joab knew that he longed to go to his
fugitive son, so he arranged for Absalom to be brought to him.
But their relationship was never the same again. Absalom’s
bitterness sparked a conflict that ended with his death (18:14).
It was a bitter victory for King David, causing him to lament
his lost son and their failed relationship (18:33). No amount of
grieving, however, could undo David’s heartache.
We can learn from David’s regret when dealing with broken
relationships. The pain of trying to make things right can be
hard. But it’s much better to do what we can to make things
right “in the living years.” — Bill
Crowder
For Further Study
Do you have a strained relationship with someone?
For help, read on the Internet What Do You Do With A Broken
Relationship? at www.discoveryseries.org/q0703
A broken relationship can be repaired— but only if you’re
willing to try.