What a difference a day can make. I have been pondering “life” a lot lately. My life, specifically. And, all of the lives that intersect and infinitely intertwine with mine [because life is definitely a team sport]. My life has been throwing me so many curve balls lately there’s been no time to duck and nowhere to hide. BAM! Splat! BAM! Splat! You know that infamous saying that “God only gives us as much as we can handle”? Well, it’s annoying! Here’s my response. “Oh really?! I stand all amazed He actually thinks that I can handle this.”
Dear God, may I please have a time out?!!! I’ve been giving this my all. You know that, right? But you’ve left me in the game way too long. Give me a break, or I’m done for!
Just sayin’.
Life is made up of days. Each day filled with hours, minutes and seconds. None of us actually know how many days we will have on this earth. I’ve always wondered if there’s some sort of invisible life-clock embedded inside each of us, and the moment we exit the womb it activates and starts counting down. [a very popular Sci-Fi theme!].
I logically know that some day I will die. But, I always secretly believe I am going to cheat the system and live forever. [Admit it, you’ve thought the same thing, huh?] I think that’s our soul’s song we’re hearing. Because, the truth is that we are going to live forever. Really. Our spirit never dies. It is eternal. But, as eternal beings, we are not meant to dwell long on this mortal shore.
So, are our days “numbered”? Obviously.
But, do we each have a “pre-assigned” number? hmmm….
What I do know is that each day of our life is a gift, and we get to choose how to use it and learn from it. Or, as Russell M. Nelson eloquently taught;
My dear brothers and sisters, each day is a day of decision. President Thomas S. Monson has taught us that “decisions determine destiny.”
Russell M. Nelson
The wise use of your freedom to make your own decisions is crucial to your spiritual growth, now and for eternity. You are never too young to learn, never too old to change.Your yearnings to learn and change come from a divinely instilled striving for eternal progression.
Each day brings opportunity for decisions for eternity.
I came across a quote/meme that my friend Seth Adam Smith posted on his Facebook page. It resonated with me, and made me pause.
“We are born in one day. We die in one day. We can change in one day. And we can fall in love in one day. Anything can happen in just one day.” – Gayle Forman (American Young-Adult novelist)
The power of one.
One person.
One life.
One day.
Infinite opportunity.
What will you choose today that will determine your destiny?
– MoSop
And as I pass along, I’ll sing the Christian song, “I’m Going To Live Forever!”
Your blogs are so thought provoking. This one particularly resonates with me. I’m getting up in years, almost 73, and the older I get, the faster the times goes. I think I’ve told you I write Christian poetry. It seems that lately, my thoughts and poems go in the direction of what’s coming next. I always thought my latter years would be a time of enjoyment, but the last two have been very stressful. Like you, I sometimes wonder just how much stress God thinks I can take. One thing that helps me get through it is knowing that, whatever comes my way, He’ll be there to help me through. I want to share a poem with you that I wrote for a friend of mine who is battling stage 4 colon cancer. We’ve been best friends since high school. We have told each other, which ever one goes first, will be there to welcome the other one home. No one knows for sure when their time will be up, so I guess it’s a race, but one that no one wants to win. Here’s the poem, Love, Lynne
Alone in the Dark
Dear God, when I feel so alone,
in the dark, are you there,
Do you see me all curled up,
snug in my bed, hear my prayer,
When I’m scared beyond reason,
and I need your peace,
Wrap me up in your arms,
and my fears release,
Let me know you won’t leave me,
that you still care,
You’ll never desert me,
I feel your love, you are there.
Dear God, when the news is too much to bear,
and I feel like I’m slipping away,
Help me to hear, your still small voice,
let me know, you’re still there today,
No matter what I may have to face,
I know I won’t face it alone,
You’ve promised to always, be right there with me,
until you call me back home,
So I’ll keep on trusting, in your faithful love,
knowing that what I go through,
I won’t have to worry about the outcome,
because I’ll just hold tight to you.
Latter-day Soprano 
Dear Holly,
Your blogs are so thought provoking. This one particularly resonates with me. I’m getting up in years, almost 73, and the older I get, the faster the times goes. I think I’ve told you I write Christian poetry. It seems that lately, my thoughts and poems go in the direction of what’s coming next. I always thought my latter years would be a time of enjoyment, but the last two have been very stressful. Like you, I sometimes wonder just how much stress God thinks I can take. One thing that helps me get through it is knowing that, whatever comes my way, He’ll be there to help me through. I want to share a poem with you that I wrote for a friend of mine who is battling stage 4 colon cancer. We’ve been best friends since high school. We have told each other, which ever one goes first, will be there to welcome the other one home. No one knows for sure when their time will be up, so I guess it’s a race, but one that no one wants to win. Here’s the poem, Love, Lynne
Alone in the Dark
Dear God, when I feel so alone,
in the dark, are you there,
Do you see me all curled up,
snug in my bed, hear my prayer,
When I’m scared beyond reason,
and I need your peace,
Wrap me up in your arms,
and my fears release,
Let me know you won’t leave me,
that you still care,
You’ll never desert me,
I feel your love, you are there.
Dear God, when the news is too much to bear,
and I feel like I’m slipping away,
Help me to hear, your still small voice,
let me know, you’re still there today,
No matter what I may have to face,
I know I won’t face it alone,
You’ve promised to always, be right there with me,
until you call me back home,
So I’ll keep on trusting, in your faithful love,
knowing that what I go through,
I won’t have to worry about the outcome,
because I’ll just hold tight to you.
LikeLike
Thank you Lynne for sharing your insightful comment and for your beautiful poem.
LikeLike