There are now seventy-one days left until the first expected frost, for most of Middle Tennessee, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac. This might leave time for another crop of beans, but in my area that could be risky.
The big topic for discussion lately is how many days there are until school starts. In many cases it has already begun. My daughter has exactly eight days left at home before going back to college.
If you’ve ever been close to a young child waiting for a birthday or holiday, you will be constantly reminded about the days remaining until the big event!
It is human nature to keep track of our time and our days. We maintain an abundance of watches and calendars. We do this because it helps us plan, whether it is for a garden, first day of school, or a birthday party.
In the garden, we can avoid failure (such as my frozen tomato seedlings this spring) by watching and numbering the days, and being aware of the correct time and season.
My failure to harvest an unfamiliar variety of tomato last year reminded me of the necessity to “number my days” right. Their greenish color tricked me into thinking they were not ripe, when I should have been aware of the proper number of days from planting to harvest.
I am growing another green tomato variety this year, and now I am experienced enough to pay attention to the expected ripening date.
Do we learn appropriate timing with the mundane tasks of our lives, but not our spiritual needs?
“So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, NASB).
What a wonderful thing to present back to our Creator — wisdom! On the other hand, what if we haven’t planned on meeting him when it’s time, and we are not ready? Totally unwise.
Life will advance minute by minute, day by day, year after year whether it is spent serving the God of creation or our own tiny selfish wants and needs.
What about presenting to God a heart of wisdom? That will only happen, as the Psalmist said, if we allow the Father to teach us to number our days.
Knowing that this journey that we call life is a “limited engagement” should ultimately cause us to choose more wisely how we spend that short time. It is this realization, that time is so limited, that makes it precious to us. We then use it with much better discernment.
Does it bother you as much as it bothers me when you hear someone speak of “killing time?” To me, that’s simply murder!
There are several ways we can make the most of our time:
Put God first, the rest should fall into place. Make memories; cherish the moments before, during and after those especially precious times. Before, by good planning; during, by being there — REALLY there –- not with your thoughts elsewhere; after, by remembering and focusing on the good.
Know the reason you were put here on earth (Ephesians 2:10). Stay aware of eternity (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Time will pass one way or another; whether we fritter it away with life’s little cares, or whether we really energetically dig into life with all our being!
“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories” (Ray Bradbury).
-by Christine Berglund @ www.forthright.net