“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
“Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.” Psalm 39:5
September Song
Now that I have reached my “golden years,” I identify with Paul many times when he said, “to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21), for even though I count every day here on earth a gift from the Lord for His use, I grow more tired and weary as I age, looking forward to my heavenly home.
For the last few months, the words to one of my favorite old songs have been coming to mind. (If you are still fairly young, you may not be familiar with this oldie, “September Song.”) Here are the lyrics:
Oh, it’s a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September.
When the autumn weather turn leaves to flame,
One hasn’t got time for the waiting game.
Oh the days dwindle down to a precious few. . .
September, November. . .
And these few precious days I’ll spend with you.
These precious days I’ll spend with you.*
Even though the older we get the fewer days we have here, I realize that this is not just a love song for people who are OLD. We don’t have to be old to consider the message of these lyrics, because if you think about it, old age is not the only thing that can wipe us out. None of us know when our “expiration date” is up. Any one of us can be “here today and gone tomorrow”! We may not have time to “wait” as the song suggests; and as Psalm 39:5 reminds us, life is short.
With this in mind, I want to count my remaining days precious by appreciating and loving on my husband and family. It’s easy to take for granted the people we are closest to and around the most. Jesus experienced this with His own family (Matthew 13:57).
But I also want to love others as well, no matter who they are. What better way to love them than to share the love of Jesus with them, however that may look, especially when so many are hopeless and lost without a Shepherd in these unprecedented times. Personally, I may not have a lot of time left so I want to be about my Father’s business. Time is precious and I’ve already wasted a lot of it in my lifetime.
As our pastor’s wife shared with us recently, we need to be “serious and watchful in prayer, confess easily, forgive quickly, and love abundantly.” Isn’t that what Jesus has commanded us to do?
Lord, remind us to number each day as precious in order to love as You have loved us. Thank You for the power of Your Holy Spirit Who enables us do just that. Help all of us to please and honor You by loving well every day. Amen!
Thank you for the reminder of being watchful and Love