This Day

 I read a comment in a book that is rolling around in my head. Why have I been allowed to live this extra day when others all around the world were not given the gift of another day to live?

This day is a gift. Depending on your vantage point it might not feel much like a gift. Sometimes life is hard and throws hard punches that drop us to our knees. We all face challenges. Our challenges pale in comparison to other people's challenges. It becomes a matter of perspective. 

Brenda talked to our sons about the hardest Christmas she ever remembered. Her dad had left the family. Her mother got sick. She said her and her two sisters each got only one present that year. Tucker commented, "I have never had a bad Christmas." Like I said, it is a matter of perspective. 

This day was given to us as a blessing from God. Others were appointed to die before this day or on this day. Why were we given the gift of this day? What did we choose to do with this gift of 24 hours? Did we enjoy it, endure it, or expend it in wasteful living?

I think most of us take our days for granted. They become mundane. Monotonously repetitive and predictable. It is easy to fail to really live while we are living. For instance, do we really take time to enjoy the people around us. Yesterday morning Brenda and I sat around the breakfast table with two of our sons for two hours just talking and reminiscing. I would not trade that treasured time. Those moments are more meaningful because we do not get to be together very often these days. 

Do we enjoy what we do? Some people work to make a living. Others live for the work they are called to do. I enjoy the multifaceted callings on my life. To study, preach, teach, shepherd, lead, plan, read, and of course to write. I had my computer opened to write earlier, but only saw a blank screen. Nothing inspired me until I read that one quote which sparked a fire and all these thoughts. 

Today I got to make one contribution in writing this. I did not waste the day. This morning I got to enjoy three of my four sons in the living room before coming to the office. I talked to 76 year old pastor friend of mine who lost both of his adult sons. He has become a surrogate dad to me and me a surrogate son to him. We talked on the phone for 90 minutes. I enjoyed our conversation and benefited from his wisdom. I took care of a couple administrative details about an upcoming marriage conference we are hosting and some athletic director duties for next week. Not a wasted day. 

Truth is I love my work. The holiday season is challenging for me when everyone and most things shut down for a couple of weeks. I grow a little stir crazy. I yearn to be productive. To make the day count. To keep the nose to the grindstone. God allowed me to live this day. I want to use it for His good pleasure and to enjoy the blessings around me. Not to waste the day unproductively nor in worship less squandered profligate living. 

This is the day. I do not think about that every day when I awake. Some days I wake up in dread of overcommitted calendared events. Other days I wake up lazy and meander meaninglessly through my day. I am not saying we should never slow down and rest. We are commanded to do so. Even in rest we can be productive. Spending time with the people we love. There is nobody I enjoy spending time with more than Brenda. It does not matter what we are doing as long as we are doing it together. That is productive. I love to settle in my chair with a good book and to have uninterrupted time to read. I also love to write. When God inspires I try to write to glorify Him and to help people. I am getting to do both on this day. A profitable and productive day.

This day. God gave it to us as a gift. May what we do with it be our gift back to God.