Your Crazy-Quilt Life

I wish someone had told me when I was much younger that God had a purpose for me. It would have changed everything – my education, the way I spent my time, how I thought about myself, the people I hung out with, and even the way I raised my son. I have already begun telling my granddaughter that God has a special and important plan for her life.

I appreciate Moses’ prayer: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Life moves at such a fast pace. But Moses wasn’t talking about keeping track of how many days we’ve lived; he was talking about paying attention to how we live our days. The word “number” means to appoint and prepare. It is about making your days – and the hours and minutes that make up your days – count.

God allowed Moses to grow up in the palace in Egypt as a training ground for his purpose. But I’m sure he never considered tending his father-in-law’s flock as holy schooling. But they were. He learned invaluable leadership skills in Pharaoh’s palace and he learned humility as a fugitive and a shepherd. Every step of his life was intended to move him toward his purpose.

That’s true for you and me too. My fascination with words started very early; they were part of my preparation. My high school creative writing course unlocked a passion for writing that has never left me. Yes, those were all good things, but what about the rest? What about the foolish things and the painful things and the ugly things? How could they possibly fit into God’s purpose? They taught me discernment, compassion, and, like Moses, humility. They taught me to be careful who I trust. They taught me to never judge. They taught me to be obedient to the Lord and they taught me the value of God’s Word.

Someone is sitting on a heap of regrets today. Maybe it’s been your choices or the fallout from someone else’s – either way, it’s been a rough ride and you can’t undo what has been. But God . . . You know the verse, “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). “All things” mean the good, the bad, and the ugly. God doesn’t waste anything in your life. Every tear, every Joy, every sorrow, every moment is part of His training ground for your purpose. Put it all in His hands, Beloved, and He will bring about something beautiful. You.

Minutes, Hours, Days, and Years

Photo: Tom Hussey

My days are packed. I am up at 4:30 and before I leave the house I have filled my morning with Bible study, prayer, writing, (and usually Joy!). And coffee. I put in a full day at the best job ever and come home to supper (my hubby is retired and does the cooking – I am blessed!). I clean-up, often bathe Joy and then spend the rest of the evening studying. I hit the bed and start the cycle all over again. Seven of those make a week and those weeks make a month. Months become years and somehow, it’s almost 2022. That’s why my heart is pricked by Moses’ prayer: “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). He is not saying, “teach us to count how old we are.” The word “number” here means to “weigh out,” – to place value on our days. Moses could have said, “Teach us to weigh our days . . .”

We know that days are made up of hours, which are made up of minutes. But we forget that every minute counts. Here’s a question for you (and me). Do you have any idea how many minutes a day you spend mindlessly scrolling through Facebook or Instagram or surfing the internet? Have you ever been surprised at just how much time passed while you were thumbing through your phone? I don’t know about you, but I’m guilty of wasting minutes I will never get back. Minutes that make up hours that make up days that make up weeks and months and years and a lifetime. So, I’ve adapted Moses’ prayer: “Lord, teach me to number my minutes, that I may gain a heart of wisdom.” Teach me to weigh them, to understand how precious – and fleeting – they are. Teach me to spend those minutes wisely on eternal things – on the Gospel, on people, on Your Kingdom. I’m not saying, never go on Facebook again; that’s where I connect with most of you. But you and I need to value the time we invest there and make every minute count for eternity. The poet, Mary Oliver, famously asked, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Consider your answer to that question, Beloved, and spend your minutes well.

Make Every Minute Count

A verse came to me this morning: “Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You” (Psalm 73:25). Then another: “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). They were very convicting to me.  If I can truly say that earth has nothing I desire above God, and that Jesus alone has the words of eternal life, then why do I spend more time on Facebook than I do in the Good Book? Why do I listen to the opinions of others rather than listening to the only words that matter? And why does my quiet time get derailed by social media and emails and news and checking my bank account?

So I asked the Lord, “Have I forsaken my first love?” In Revelation, the Lord Jesus addressed seven churches, the first was the church in Ephesus (2:1-7). He commended them for their perseverance, endurance, and not tolerating wickedness and false apostles. But He also chastised them for “forsaking their first love” (v. 4) He said, “Remember the height from which you have fallen! Remember the things you did at first” (v. 5). I remembered the days before the internet was part of my daily life. I would spend long stretches of time studying God’s Word and writing – prayers and devotions and lessons. I would spend days chewing on one passage or theme in Scripture. Those are the “things I did at first.” Granted, a lot more has changed in my life: work, school, my granddaughter, but those legitimate things should make me all the more determined to make every minute count when I have one.

Yet social media is a ministry platform, a way to speak life and truth and encouragement to others – to you. I believe God has called me to this.  But it should not take away from Him. I must allow the Holy Spirit to work the fruit of self-control in me.

Beloved, are you paying attention to how you spend the gift of precious minutes? Who gets the most – God or a hand-held device?  (Yes, I know, you’re probably reading this on your phone.) I would ask the same question another way – who sees your face the most – your children or your screens?  If I stepped on your toes, know that mine are also throbbing. To adapt Moses’ words: “Lord, teach us to number our minutes aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). What will you do to make every minute count?