Today is the last day that I will be 70 years old. There are certain ages that seem to capture our attention more than others. I remember my 15th birthday because I could get my driver’s license learner’s permit. I remember turning 18 because that meant that I could vote, get drafted & buy beer. It wound up not being such a big deal. I didn’t get drafted or buy beer however I voted in the presidential election for the first time in my life but the president I voted for is the only one in history to quit. Oh well! Other ages had some significance here and there. I never really thought about getting older until I turned 50. Living half a century got my attention. This was my ‘wake-up call’ that my years of life were rapidly moving along. Turning 65 was noteworthy because I qualified for Medicare. But 70…there is a Psalm that deals with the 70th birthday. The 90th Psalm is a prayer of Moses that’s probably the oldest Psalm in the Bible. Moses lived long past 70, in fact the Bible tells us that Moses died at the age of 120. However, he wrote in Psalm 90:10; “Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.’ This is an interesting observation for someone for whom 70 years is just a little past the halfway point in his life. However, after living 70 years, he came to the realization that even what we consider a long life is actually brief for the days ‘quickly pass and we fly away’ and they are filled with ‘trouble and sorrow’.
It may have been that 70 for Moses was similar to my
50. Perhaps this was the time when Moses
first began to grasp how quickly life seems to pass. Each of us has a point when we realize that
our time on earth is brief and fleeting.
One day my grandmother put pen to paper and reflected on her life as she
pondered memories, both good and bad, of her life. She was known for her writing talent. I inherited the writing bug from her. My cousin compiled a collection of her
writings in a book that her children and grandchildren continue to
treasure. Today I refer to a particular
writing where she looked back at the life she had seen and experienced
thinking, as did Moses, how even in the best times there is always trouble and
sorrow. She wrote about how she
hated thinking of leaving this life.
She was a woman of great faith and knew Heaven waited but she felt
impressed to speak of the blessings and difficulties she had seen and the loved
ones she would miss. She was 65 when she
put her feelings on paper. She didn’t
know that she would live another 33 years until the age of 98 but this seemed
to be a time of significance in the way she viewed life from that point
on.
Moses may have been at a similar place in his thoughts and
observations about life. A couple of
verses later he declares the importance of knowing that our days of life are
numbered. Like it or not, there is a specific number of
days to each life. We don’t know the
number of days we will live but each of us has a certain number of days to our
life and then it will end. I often have
said that I would like to know the number of my days. As I approach the last few days, I would do
nothing but eat Oreos and ice cream. Obviously,
that is a foolish way to look at making the most of one’s last days. It would be much wiser to spend those days
enjoying time with loved ones. And since
we don’t know the number of the last day it would be wise to live each day as
fully as if it could be the last time you will be with loved ones…because it
could.
Moses states in verse 12, “Teach us to number our
days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” A
heart of wisdom comes from knowing that our days are
numbered. It matters not that we don’t
know the number of our days. Realizing
that our number of days are limited should make us realize that we need to make
the most of each day and not waste any time.
The days can’t be reclaimed once they pass. Usually, we don't number our days; we number
our years. When you have a birthday and someone asks how old you are, you tell
them your age in the number of years. But true spiritual wisdom comes from
numbering our days, because we live a day at a time. We don’t know that we will have tomorrow but
we know that we have today. God has
ordained that the entire universe functions a day at a time. Jesus taught us to pray for God to, “Give
us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11).
A heart of wisdom lives each day as if it could be the
last…because it could be. We may realize
that our days are numbered but we don’t know when that last number/day will
arrive. It could be years from now or
moments away. Therefore, we need to
treat each moment as precious, fragile and fleeting. That means treating everyone we encounter each
day in the same fashion. We never know
if this will be the last day we will have with them. If You knew today would be the last day you
would have with a loved one or friend, wouldn’t you make that day/moment as
positive as possible? Who would want to
have their last day with anyone as a day of anger or frustration? So, since we don’t know the number of our
last day, or that of anyone else, a heart of wisdom leads us to make the most
of every opportunity to make the day as happy and pleasant as possible. A heart of wisdom treats each day and each
person we encounter that day as cherished and valued.
As I approach my 25,915th day (71 years x 365
days…I may be a product of the Mississippi public school system but I can still
do basic multiplication…with a calculator), I am going to try my best to make
the most of each day. Wouldn’t the world
be better if we all did that? A heart of
wisdom teaches me to love, appreciate and treasure each moment and each person
I encounter as I number each precious day.
We also live by God's wisdom. Wisdom is knowing and having
discernment, so that we can apply the truth of the Word of God at the right
time, in the right way, with the right motive. Wisdom comes from the Word of
God and from getting to know Him and ourselves better.
Wisdom in ancient Hebrew picture language means one who is
skilled at separating good from bad. So, how does one become skilled at
separating good and bad? By studying and applying the Word of God. In the
Bible, God identifies good and bad behaviors and beliefs; our challenge is to
find out what God has to say on a matter and align our beliefs and behaviors with
the Bible, thus becoming wise.
Considering God's righteous anger and wrath (Psalm 90:11),
Moses provides an example of sensible prayer. He asks God for wisdom to account
for our time. Time flies, life is uncertain, fragile, and fleeting and God
judges sin. It is important, therefore, to value the moments and days He has
given us. The best was to value the day is to live each moment as if it could
be our last…because it could. Live each
moment being grateful for that moment of life right now, no matter what it
holds. Learn, grow and persevere knowing
that whatever the moment holds, good or bad, it will “quickly pass and
we fly away.” Do all you can
to help those around you enjoy the moment or day with love and harmony for one
another. We cannot know what tomorrow
will bring (Proverbs 27:1), so we ought to dedicate today and every day to the
Lord. That is what I plan to do on my
last day to be 70 years old. Then if I wake
in the morning, I will repeat that plan for my first day to be 71 years old and
following. Hope you have a great day, no
matter what number it is for you!
