Making the most of every moment

I've been pondering my own impatience with time - when I was in the hospital with newborn twins I was impatient to get out.  When we were first home I was impatient to get done with tube feeding and move on to nursing.  Yet, if I really was able to speed things up I would miss weeks, possibly months of my children's lives.  There's a Chris Rice song that has a line I've been reminded of (wrestling with?):

"Every day is a gift you've been given
Make the most of the time every minute you're living"        -  "Life Means So Much" by Chris Rice

Which of course brings me to the writer of Ecclesiastes 3:

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,  

      a time to embrace and a time to refrain.

6 a time to search and a time to give up, 

      a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend, 

      a time to be silent and a time to speak...

Which brings us back to Chris Rice's thoughts:

Every day is a journal page
Every man holds a quill and ink
And there's plenty of room for writing in
All we do is believe and think
So will you compose a curse
Or will today bring the blessing
Fill the page with rhyming verse
Or some random sketching

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
That somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

So, my prayer for you (and for me) this week: 

 "Lord, teach us to count the days.  Help us to make our days count.  Lead us in better ways.  Give us wisdom to know when to scatter, when to gather, when to embrace, when to refrain, when to search, when to give up.  Give us discernment to know when to keep, when to throw away, when to tear, when to mend, when to be silent, when to speak.  Give us your heart for those around us....give us your eyes to see your Kingdom and your ministry -- and your timing.  Thank you for every day and the gifts we've been given.  Thank you for helping us make the most of each minute we've been given.  Thank you for grace.  Amen."  

Peace be with you,

JV