Wherever You Are, Be All There
I can't believe the school year is starting already! The summer seemed so short. Actually it has been, at least for our daughter Avery who graduated middle school in June and is starting high school later this week. I remember the days when summer break used to be a solid three months. No longer. On top of it all, she was assigned homework during the summer. Yesterday, she asked "are we going to do anything fun this week?" Poor girl . . . trying to wring whatever she can out of her last few days of freedom. Of course I say this tongue and cheek knowing that for every child summer is too short and they all go through the same withdrawals when it's time to go back to school.
Not only has the summer gone by quickly but doesn't it feel like time in general is passing quickly? Maybe it's the stage of life I'm in (i.e., OLD). When you're young, each month, each year seems to go by so slowly. And then as you get older, time just seems to speed up and the pages on the calendar turn quicker and quicker. On Saturday, we went to a meet and greet at the high school which included a tour of the campus. And we saw classrooms that gave me flashbacks to when Colson was just starting high school four years ago. How fast time flies! Before I know it, Ellie will be preparing for high school and I'll be reminiscing about the days when Avery was just starting.
There are of course bigger milestones than high school. But with each passing milestone, with the world around us changing so much, and with friends and family getting older, it all reminds me of the brevity of life here on earth. Psalm 39:4-5 says “LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered— how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” It is interesting how the Lord has made us to be eternal beings but he has preordained us to live only a brief time here on this earth. Scripture says that God has great things in store for those who place their hope and trust in Him. I Corinthians 2:9 says "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him." If you're a follower of Jesus, you have much to look forward to! Things we can't even imagine! But most of that will be after our lives on earth have passed and we live with Christ in His kingdom.
These days when I think about how fleeting life is, I sometimes reminisce about the past and maybe even regret what's been lost. I reflect on the good old days when things were different or I regret a decision I made or how I treated someone. Sometimes I also worry about what will happen in the future, what will get done and what won't. Will my family be alright or will I be faithful to what God has for me? I think it's natural to think about these things. But in Psalm 39, I see the psalmist saying "remind me how brief my time on earth will be or that my days are numbered" which I think helps us to approach the present with an importance and even urgency in doing God's will in our lives. What we do, how we love others, and how we walk with the Lord today is crucial to living faithfully for Him.
A quote from the famous missionary Jim Elliot that has stuck with me for many years says “Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” I find these words both inspiring and convicting at the same time. He says live in the present! In what you do today, if you believe it to be God's will, be fully there (in mind and in spirit) with your kids, with your co-workers, doing ministry, at home, at church, with God. Beloved, life is fleeting and constantly changing. But everyday, wherever God puts us, let's be fully present seeking to do His will! Trust in the Lord and have a great week.
Pastor Darren
