Thursday, January 9, 2020

Whatever Time I Have Left

"Whatever time I have left"...a heavy thought indeed.  Not because I am dying -- though we are all dying -- but because there is still so much to be done, so much life to be lived and love to be shared.  Time is passing much too quickly -- the month of January is nearly half gone and before you know it, we'll be sitting at the end of 2020 and wondering how it passed so quickly when we were determined to make the most of each day and do everything in our power to slow its progression.

Time is short.  I'm getting older.  So are you.  Opportunities to do good are ours every day, but do we make the most of them?  When I get to the end of my life, this year, this day -- will I regret the things I didn't do, the love I didn't express, and the time I didn't take just to stop and smell the roses?  Or will I lay my head on the pillow satisfied that I did the best I could and lived with a sense of purpose and balance?

There are too many distractions competing for our time -- too many disturbances which burden our hearts, souls, and minds.  Burdens which we are too feeble to carry.  Disease, war, natural disasters, violence, animal and human suffering, moral depravity, political corruption...the list is endless.  Is it any wonder that some days we want to throw in the towel, sink deep into our sofas, and mindlessly binge watch TV?

Wisdom has taught me that I can't fix what's wrong with this world.  Only God can.

Wisdom has also taught me that attitude is everything and that each of us has the power to choose joy -- genuine joy -- in spite of what we see.

Yes, we have the responsibility to do what we can to effect positive change -- to vote, recycle and conserve resources, donate to organizations that fight injustice, contribute to the needs of others, and take care of our physical bodies the best we know how.  But we also have the right to choose joy, the privilege to talk to the God of the universe about our concerns, and the promise of His grace, power, mercy, presence, and peace in the midst of everything we face.

Whatever time I have left, I want to live as one who has hope and to encourage those who are hopeless.  I want to be a blessing and a vessel of God's love to others.

Life is too short to spend whatever time I have left worrying about things God is quite capable of handling.  I know how the story ends, and it's a good ending!
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” -- Revelation 21:3-4, ESV






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What Next?

“Even when I am old and  gray , do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next, your mighty acts to all who are to come.” ...