Bright Spot: Put value in your days as you live
Columbus Day is no longer politically correct. According to some, Columbus was a colonizer, abuser of native peoples, and a fame-money grabber. Don’t say that to Italian-Americans.
Even though I’ve been residing in the Ohio capital that bears his name, I don’t have a good handle on how he’s perceived here. Many have now swapped the name of the day that pays tribute to him to “Indigenous Peoples Day.”
My calendar also reminds me when it’s national Jogger’s Day, Ice Cream Day, Coffee Day, Donut Day, Pie Day (March 14, of course, when I can get my freebies). Who woulda thunk National Knit in Public Day is a thing, as is Say Something Stupid Day. I thought April 1 covered that.
Don’t forget to Own Your Share of America Day, Martini Day (stirred, not shaken), Ugliest Dog Day (before you nominate any dog, make sure their owner is ok with that), Hug an Atheist Day, Leave the Office Early Day.
We haven’t even begun to cover all the newly minted national holidays, most of which have been established in the past 30 years. But, who doesn’t support another paid day off, if not just an early out?
There is no end to crazy days.
The Bible, though, takes days very seriously. Of all the units of time we use – seconds, minutes, hours, weeks, years, decades, scores and centuries – by far the unit of time the Bible mentions most is the day.
“Give us this day our daily bread ... Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere ... Each new day I earnestly seek for God ... His mercies are new every day...Proclaim His salvation day after day ... The length of our days is seventy years ... Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Matthew 6; Psalm 84; Isaiah 26; Lamentations 3; Psalm 96; 90).
That last one above, Psalm 90:12, uses a word “number” that comes from the accountants and shepherds world of old. It means both “to invest” vs. just spend, and it warned the shepherd to count his sheep in such a way he would not lose one.
Think about both these definitions in light of your days. A day is so short we tend to underestimate it’s value.
Not so with God.
He warns us throughout the entire Bible to treat each as something sacred to be treasured; never wasted. No not one. Invest your time in things that really matter. Binge watching and video games NOT included. One female congressional rep proposed a bill to declare any man who spent more than 12 hours in a weekend watching football “legally dead.”
Invest your days so that every one counts for things that really matter ... to you and to God.
Rick Sams is pastor emeritus of Alliance Friends Church.
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Bright Spot: Put value in your days as you live
