Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years...

I learned recently that one of our former kids passed away after a long illness. Not the first during my tenure and certainly not the last. She was only in her 30's...

In my sadness, I flipped back through the pages in my memory to 1997 when I first met her. Truthfully, she intimidated me with her guarded attitude and tough demeanor. Over the years as I grew to know her better, she taught me many lessons and put me in my place more than once. I revisited in my thoughts a few sticky situations where she was involved, gazed lovingly at a few pictures I had with her sweet smile, and prayed mercy on her soul.

I ran into a former co-worker that heard another former youth from years back was recently murdered. This wasn't verified yet, but the tragedy of the allegation hit hard...life lived, life taken...

Today's scripture reading was Psalm 139, a familiar passage. But this verse caught my attention:

"All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be".

 

Within the last couple of weeks one of my Facebook friends posted about 2 births in which the child only lived a few short hours. Another friend posted about a few other sudden, tragic deaths.

 

One out of one dies. It WILL happen. We, our loved ones, our friends, our co-workers may have seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years...and only God knows that. It's already written. We may live to be 9, 26, 45, 67, or 98. Only God knows.  It's already written.

 

On the eve of my 42nd birthday, I'm realizing that the older I get, the more the reality of death will find it's way into my life.  I'm marching on towards the end of my days but that may be today also rather than me growing into an "old lady". And that's fine. God knows when. It's already written. And His timing is perfect.

 

As I posted the hourglass at the top of this post it felt a bit foreboding to me...just a bit. But I think of Psalm 90:12 that says, "Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom". I can look back to folks now on the other side of life that truly lived this passage out until the very end...May God grant me the wisdom to do the same...for however many seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years I have left.