Why didn't you come earlier?

Read the news on Norway's recent massacre, the title was the above...
it was the cry of the survivor... the police came an hour later..
and about 68 people died..

I think everyone probably has said this phrase once in life...
especially when we needed help urgently, we say it...
we'll feel the frustration, the helplessness.. even the anger...

Then, i think probably we are the 'target' of the complaint...
I remember I heard it more than once...
some situations were non urgent or life threatening...
more like 'aiya, you missed it...'
sometimes we say it to ourselves "why didn't i come/appear earlier?"

Mary and Martha said this to Jesus... when the brother died...
They really blamed Jesus for being late, if he had appeared earlier....
But Jesus was not sorry about it... He purposely delayed his arrival...
why? for God's glory, so that He can show to the people, that God is in control...

this is not an excuse for all of us to be late or delay...
perhaps it's the only reason why we can be late - God wanted us to be late...
other than that we really have no excuse..

not only to an appointment we have to go to...
but for something that we are suppose to do, don't delay...
I felt that my preparation for the recent Kampar trip..
if I 'appeared' earlier - prepare earlier, then i will be more familiar with my points...
then i would probably preached clearer and more effective..

Why didn't you come earlier...

Chinese has an idiom... when we keep delaying...
then everything else will be affected badly...

Don't be late...