make 'em count

Psalm 90:12, "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Talk about cool, this psalm was written by Moses.  It's like seeing an original painting by an artist.  It is the oldest psalm.  I don't know why, it just awes me to read it.

All that aside.  Moses makes a request to God.  In view of our brief lives, that He would teach us to "number our days"...to realize how few they are and then use our time wisely for eternal purposes.  Lots of Christianese.

This Saturday I will be going to the funeral of a friend/coworker.  During the time we worked together, she knew of the Lord, but did not have a relationship with Him.  Because of the faithfulness of another coworker, she led our cohort into a relationship with Jesus..all this after her illness was diagnosed.  To me, numbering my days would mean realizing before the diagnosis that tomorrow is never promised.  This might very well be my last day here, so what am I going to do with it?

To different people that might mean different things.  To some, living life on the edge...to "make them count".  To me, it means showing and sharing the love of God so that everyone might want to know Him and be saved.  Life is too short to spend it hating or angry.  Let those people go, and let God work on them.  I can show love to those in my "circle"...those I come in contact with on a daily basis from my kids to the people at my Tom Thumb.  Loving God, I can love on them.  Loving God changes my eternity, loving them through word and deed can hopefully change theirs.  

I have been to funerals before...ones of believers and ones of nonbelievers.  The atmosphere is definitely different.  There is joy because we believe that God's mercy and Jesus' sacrifice means resurrection is real and we will be reunited with our loved ones.  My heart is definitely different.  At one, I rejoice...at the other, I grieve... for their loss and for my failure to have spoken words that might have changed their eternity.

I am grateful that on Saturday, I will rejoice knowing I will see my friend again.  I want to make my days count, to not take them for granted while He allows me breath and life...to do the ultimate...live love...His love.