Thursday, March 26, 2009

THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES -- Devotional for March 24, from "Good Seeds"

As for the days of our lives they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet all too soon our time is up and we fly away. So, teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:10-12)

You might accuse me of borrowing this title from a T.V. soap opera, but actually I think it’s probably the other way around. Although those TV shows packed in a lot more drama per square inch than what transpires in the average household, life has a tendency to dole out, along with occasional pleasure, more than its fair share of conflict, disappointment, deceit, and love sought, stolen and lost. Those who live out the average lifespan of 70 to 80 years, as spelled out in this Bible passage, have been around long enough to see it all, and to experience much of it. When we think about life, we can’t help but ponder the days, the weeks, the months, the years, and tiny moments, and the events and people – and drama – that fill these time slots. As much as we remind ourselves that it’s quality that counts, not quantity, most of us still enjoy counting the years, and would prefer them to continue as long as possible. Even those languishing in poor health, barely surviving in heart and mind, would endure these and live on through the long days and years, rather than to thrive and shine for a brief moment before a noble but premature death. The will to live is as instructive as it is instinctive, for the desire for immortality is a sign of our vitality. It explains to us our nature, even as it expounds upon God’s eternal purpose for us, which is to “dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6). The wish to die is a curious thing. We usually associate it with poor mental or spiritual health. Shakespeare’s Hamlet could not have been very stable in mind or heart to say, “To be or not to be, that is the question.” Remember, it was in contemplation of suicide that he said this. But then we read the apostle Paul’s soliloquy, where he mused, “I am hard pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart…for that is far better” (Philippians 1:21-24). But the difference between Paul and Hamlet is like night and day, for it was not depression, but anticipation that made death seem like a good option to the old saint. The words I purposely left out above make it plain: “the desire to depart and be with Christ.” There was much yet to be done in his earthly life, he knew, but if he could choose, it would be heaven, not earth, and the sooner the better! But in the meantime, he filled (not just numbered) the days of his life with faithful service. And that’s just what you and I need to do.

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