I often ponder how we wish our lives away. Anyone else who just could not wait to turn the magical eighteen, as teens often do because we are always in a hurry, striving to reach some momentous peak in our aging process that, as in a fairy tale world will change our lives and fill us with wonder and awe.

We wish our childhood away, we wish our school years away and like an old country song, we wish it away until there is nothing else left to wish away. Some people have OCD, I have GHACH, “Gotta have a clean house” I think sometimes this is all in order to please some imaginary visitor who peradventure may pop in during the wee hours of the morning and horrifically gasp at my most untidy kitchen.

My hips were hurting, my back was aching, battling a long standing incurable dental condition, struggling as I put clothes away in the closet, almost complaining to myself that I will surely fall over dead one day, right there on the floor, something else dawned on me. If I live long enough, there WILL be a day when I will think back and yearn for one more visit to this time in my life. My beautiful daughter, my beautiful husband, my “wild kingdom friends” and my parents, we have a prayer meeting each week and I started really realizing how blessed I am (not that I ever questioned it) but there is something so endearing about sitting on a couch with your feet not quite touching the floor with two “well seasoned” seniors, (although quite vivacious) and each time them insisting that I spit out my gum and do not swallow it, before we pray, we go through this every time and each time it is just as sweet as it was the last time and I still really don’t believe that I have a giant ball of gum inside my body that will one day be my doom, however If I die that way please know that I had been warned!

I know I am blessed with every single moment that I have with them and everyone else I love because I know far too many who have had to say goodbye to their parents far too soon. My friend Genia and I have often discussed this.. approaching fifty and the days of our inseparability and constant companionship of my late brother with us seems ONLY mere years ago, although we JUST couldn’t wait to grow up, be our “own” women, make our own decisions and yet either of us would gladly time travel back for just a second too laugh one more time, to not have a care in the world, and to have never knew the true growing pains that come with being a grown up.

In our good times, happy times, and bad times as in the Books of Jeremiah and Job, when they wrote of times they felt such pain they wished that they were never even born.

Times of tragedy and heartache, why and what ifs but it is all woven in a one of a kind tapestry of time crafted by the master Himself and as we know there WILL also be a day “when TIME shall be no more” endless and infinite and time WILL be just a word, no real meaning because it will no longer exist.

EPHESIANS 5:16-20: “Redeeming the time, because the days ARE evil. Wherefore be ye NOT unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in YOUR heart to the Lord. Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 Redeeming the time, making good use of every day, every second and every breathe in that new day because the days are “evil” …bad world, bad times and time itself as an enemy against mere mortals in this realm where we are subjected to its harsh, unyielding, authoritative rule over us.

“Give us THIS day our daily bread” Spiritual Bread of life,  natural bread for nourishment and the breaking of that bread with those we love and hold dear.

PSALM 90:12-17: ” So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to our wisdom. Return, O Lord, how long? Let it repent thee concerning thy servants (have compassion on us).

O  satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN ALL OUR DAYS. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear into thy servants,and thy glory unto their children. 

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.”

Only the Lord can take our yesterday, our hurts, our joy, our memories our pain, all the things that are woven into that tapestry that is the Master’s piece of OUR personal time and fashion it into sometime so beautiful, so complex and ours and ours alone. Forget the past, don’t cry for the days that have long since passed, try not to question the losses of relationships and seasons that were seemingly blessed more than others.

ECCLESIASTES 7:10-14: Say thou NOT, What is the cause that the former days WERE BETTER than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this (do not ask why the “good old days” were better, we are not using wisdom when we ask this)

For wisdom is a good WITH an inheritance: and by it there is a profit to them that see the sun. For wisdom is a defence , and money is a defence: but the excellency (advantage) of knowledge IS that wisdom GIVETH LIFE to them that have it.

CONSIDER the work of God, for who can make that straight which he hath made crooked? In the day of posterity be joyful, BUT IN THE DAY OF ADVERSITY ( rough days)  CONSIDER: GOD HATH ALSO SET UP THE ONE OVER AGAINST THE OTHER, (surely has appointed the one as well as the other) TO THE END THAT MAN SHOULD FIND NOTHING AFTER HIM.”

So life happens, but every single day IS blessed, God is WITH US in all things IF we will allow him to be. Don’t worry quite so much about yesterday, let it go and be thankful for the moments that were had, and remember as the other old saying goes, yesterday was once tomorrow and all you truly have is TODAY, THIS DAY.

If today is full of  sorrow and uncertainty, and pain, know that it will soon be over, hold to God’s promise that we will never be forsaken or forgotten and every tear will be away by HIS own hand. If you are having a good day, be glad, be thankful, savor every single moment of that precious time.

PSALM 118:24 ” This IS the day which the Lord hath made; WE WILL BE GLAD AND REJOICE IN IT.” Never take for granted what will never be again and never count on time that we may not have, serve Jesus, enjoy what is to be enjoyed and live and love as though it were the very last thing you will ever do.

Φλογιζω Σαλπιζω NBJ2016