Time and Opportunities

 By: Joanne Viola

 

My children are all grown and with children of their own. Yet I cannot forget the feeling which overcame me each time I gave birth as I held each of them.

It was a most overwhelming emotion. As I sat in the stillness of my hospital room during the midnight hours, I wondered what I had done.

How was I going to be a good mother and tend for a little one when I was so inexperienced. I knew nothing of infants, changing diapers, colic, and raising toddlers; never mind how to navigate the teenage years.

Each day brought a new experience, while revealing my own lack of experience.

And that is when I realized that each day is just that – a new experience. There is something to be learned and gleaned in the dailyness of life.

With each passing day, I became more comfortable with the care of a newborn. A routine became established which brought order to each day as I learned along the way.

Remembering those days, brought a familiar scene from Scripture to mind.

When Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan into the Promised Land, he gave them several directions.

The people were to follow the Ark of the Covenant as it was carried by the priests. However, they were to maintain a space between themselves and the priests so that they could see them without being near them.

Why?

Joshua explains in so doing, “that you may [be able to see the ark and] know the way you must go, for you have not passed this way before” (Joshua 3:4, AMPC).

The directions were so the people would be able to follow and know they were going in the correct path. It was also a reminder that they had never gone this way before.

The new year, and each day as well, stretches anew before each one of us. Some days will be familiar and similar; while other days will hold something unexpected.

Either way, the Lord is with us and we are to follow Him where He leads. So how are we to live these days we have been given?

“So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom.”
(Psalm 90:12, AMPC)

Let’s ask the Lord for wisdom so we better manage our days,
and use our time wisely,
making the most of every opportunity each day presents to us.

“A successful life is composed of successful days that honor the Lord.”
(Warren W. Wiersbe)

 

Reflection:
How can we make better use of our time and opportunities each day?

 

Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay