It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O most high; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.  For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;  at the works of your hands I sing for joy.  (Psalm 92:1-4, NRSV)

Tonight my husband and I said goodbye to another dear face who has gone on to take up residence with his Lord and Savior.  A face I will greatly miss  that belonged to a sweet gentleman who enjoyed life here on this earth for  a little over 90 years and always added a bright light to my day when ever I had the pleasure of seeing him.  That seems like a long time in our human time reference frame, but to the heavenly realms it is really just the blink of an eye.

As children we spend our days wishing they would go faster so that we could be “old enough” for whatever our hearts desire was.  Old enough to go to school, old enough to sit in the front seat, old enough to drive, old enough to graduate.  These milestones seem to take an eternity to get to us and we wish that we could push a button that would speed time up.

Before we know it though, we are graduated from our childhoods and beginning the adult phase of our lives.  Managing careers, starting and raising families, and taking care of our homes become the focus of our days.  We get caught up in the rush of busy schedules and juggling finances trying to provide as best we can for the loved ones in our lives.  The days start to fly by in a frenzied blur making it hard to catch a breath as we careen down the road our life journey is traveling.  That is the stage that I am currently in.  As the days whirl by faster and faster I wish there was a button I could hit to slow time down.

I have been told by many that I need to treasure these crazy days because they will be passed before I know it and I will miss them.  Things like empty nests, retirement options, and end of life care decisions will need to be made.  Sweet memories of earlier times will provide warmth and comfort in our twilight years and are the blessed remains of our existence that help keep us warm as we reflect over the trials and tribulations we have experienced all the years of our lives.

Through all these stages of life, we have a willing constant companion who gives us unconditional love, unconditional guidance, and the promise of life to come.  We have access to all of this  if we choose to have a relationship with our creator and to be saved by accepting his son, Jesus, who was the ultimate sacrifice, into our hearts and lives.  We need to always remember that our loving God created us to live with joy and he wants us to take the time to savor and enjoy  all of his wonderful creations.

In the busyness of life, the mundane of everyday, we need to make sure we find the time to nurture this precious relationship with our Father above.   It is important to slow down and treasure all that we have been blessed with.  We need to give God thanksgiving and praise for all that he has done in our lives and in the world around us.  It is never too late to start!

How bright the light that brightens up our days!

We revel in such beauty, and give praise

To him who caused these wondrous things to be,

If we but open up our eyes to see.

The sunset comes with all its majesty

And may we in holy reverence be free

To see the darkness come, and without fear

As we lay down the things we held so dear.

And so, before the dawn we must have night

As we look forward to the wondrous sight.

By faith we go on in our trusting way,

And so we enter our eternal day.

– Eber S. Martin