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Numbering My Days


I spent a few days in Nashville last week and am just getting back into the swing of things so here I am again. :)  

 It was definitely a change of pace from Rockford.  Though I enjoyed it, coming home is always exciting.  My last post was about being so very busy and that is something that could be said of all of Nashville!  Wow, such a fast pace!  When I described it to my sister, she said it sounded like Las Vegas.

 Getting to see and hear some of Nashville's history was definitely interesting.  They have some beautiful pieces of history, the Ryman Auditorium being one of those!  It was a stunning facility!  And they have some of the nicest people around!

 But, I was also saddened when I thought about how many dreams drove into that city and died.  The picture above is just a tiny glimpse into how many bars are on Broadway, a place numerous singers played each day, all day, hoping for a chance to gain fame or just a steady job in a field they love.  I heard terrible singers and really good singers, but really none of that mattered.  I didn't have what they wanted.  I didn't have the ability to get them out of there and on the way to their dream career.  But, sadly, the likelihood of most of those people getting what they were looking for is like finding a great parking space on Black Friday.

 I came across this verse recently in my devotions: "Teach us to number our days so that we may truly live and achieve wisdom." (Psalm 90:12)  The writer of the devotional added, "To merely tally time doesn't require much forethought, but to truly live requires Spirit-inspired wisdom...If we want to truly live, we must seek His vision as we set our schedules."

 Dreaming is so important.  And it's a sign of a healthy life!  But dreaming and living without Christ is merely biding time.  It's so easy to get busy pursing life and happiness, that we forget to breathe...we forget to breathe Christ into our lungs and our hearts.  I need Christ like I need air.  

 "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8)

 I recently realized that in just my daily living, my daily pursuit to love the Lord and others, that I had been neglecting the time I needed with God.  The time I needed to fill my lungs and heart with Him.  The fast pace of all that demands my attention on a daily basis was given precedence over my personal need to draw near to Him.  I didn't even realize what I was missing, sadly.  But, when I changed the course of my days, beginning them with Him, I found peace again.  I found His joy in the simple things again.  And I realized THEN what I had been missing.  In numbering my days, in realizing that I needed desperately to reach out to God, I was able to stop to see the miracles that are taking place all around me.  I was able to see His hands moving.  And I was able to feel Him closer than ever.  I needed to stop, once again, to see that life is short and that I could choose to live as I deem fit which would probably work out "okay".  Or I could live in wisdom, drawing close to the Savior who knows exactly how MANY days I have to work with.  The latter seems like a smarter choice, don't you think?

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