Redeeming the Time

I just want to take a moment to publicly honor my grandmother. Today she celebrates 90 years of life! When she sees her cards and gifts, she doesn't always believe us that she's 90 ... 40 or maybe 60 - and that's a BIG maybe - is more like it. But that's okay. And when she does believe us, she laughs and says she doesn't feel 90. And that's a good thing.

Helping provide my grandma's care every day has taught me so much. Patience, for instance. I know there have been times when I have chosen, whether subconsciously or unintentionally, to suppress and ignore such spiritual lessons, but they are lessons all the same. Back in 2001, if I had tried to think ahead to the years to come, I think I would have said that 90 is so far away. Yet 90 is here today! And I wouldn't trade these years away.

90 years is a long time... and yet it's not. Compared to eternity what is 90 years? James 4:14 says, "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." Life, the length of our lives, compared to eternity is a vapor. Not even a drop in the proverbial bucket! The Psalmist accurately says, "The days of our years are threescore years and ten." What a blessing the Lord gives us when our lives surpass that number! The Shepherd-King David goes on to say in Psalm 90, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

What are we doing with our years? I'm 24. I'm almost halfway to 50. If I live to be 72, a full third of my life has passed! Where has the time gone? I'm not really sure how it has gone by so fast. And so I wonder, "What have I done with my life thus far? Have I done anything important, that truly matters?" I hope so. I think I've strived toward that goal. More importantly, I hope that when I look back I can say I truly did redeem the time I have been given.

Psalm 90 concludes, "And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." In order for the work of our hands to be established, then we have to be doing the Lord's work. We must be walking in wisdom and redeeming the time as the apostle Paul says in Colossians 4:5 & Ephesians 5:15-17, "Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is."

Redeeming the time, an important thing to do. I pray that we seek after it.

Teach me, Lord, to number my days.