Make The Most Of The Time You Have

Make The Most Of The Time You Have

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. 

Psalm 90:12 NIV

To say I’m stunned is an understatement – I’m heartbroken.

Late last night I read a blog post from a blogger I avidly follow. She was writing to inform us why she hadn’t posted the previous week: she had just become widowed. Her husband of 14 years died suddenly from a brain aneurysm, leaving her and their two young sons behind.

I read the post, mouth agape, feeling a familiar stab of pain and sorrow. All I could think was “No, no, NO!” Another woman was bereft of the love of her life, her children forever deprived of their father. Another woman was numb with loss and pain, feeling she couldn’t breathe. Another woman had lost her husband because of sudden, unexpected death. How do I know? Some years ago, that woman was me.

We Must Make The Most Of Our Time

A sudden death is a sobering reminder of why it’s so important to make the most of EVERY day. Truly, nothing is promised to us; we exhale and are not promised the opportunity to ever inhale another breath.

No, every day is not going to be filled with sunshine and few of us sleep on the proverbial bed of roses. We have our struggles. Each of us deals with the changing winds and tides of life, some of it good and some bad. Yet, each day we’re presented with 24 glorious hours.

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We Must Maximize Our Choices

Every day – actually, every breath – gives us time we can maximize and use to our advantage. We can elect to be positive instead of negative. We can see and walk through the open doors instead of complaining and standing motionless in front of the doors we view as shut.

We can allow ourselves to become paralyzed with fear and drown in a sea of excuses. We can fritter our time away with laziness, engulfing ourselves in pointless, time-wasting pursuits that add little or no value to our lives (Candy Crush Saga, anyone? IJS).

We Must “Number Our Days”

Why is it important to “number our days?” It’s important to make the most of EVERY day because we don’t know how many we have.

When I kissed my husband goodbye that fateful morning, I was happy and excited. I was on my way to a convention in California, and then on to Hawaii for a girlfriend’s getaway with my best friend. No one could have made me believe a chaplain would be waiting for me when my plane landed, face grave with the terrible news he had to impart to a total stranger.  My dear husband was gone. His days – numbered like mine, yours, and everyone’s – were up.

We Must Leave A Legacy

The blogger I follow speaks glowingly of her husband, grateful for the times they shared and the memories she will hold dear. Thankfully, I too was able to find a place of gratitude. My husband made  good use of his time, energy and resources, and left behind a lasting legacy.

I’m more determined than ever to make the most of my days. How about you?

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7 Comments

  • Tanya Barnett
    May 24, 2016 at 10:29 AM

    This really jarred me and got me thinking this morning. 2 female friends passed away recently from cancer before the age of 45, leaving behind teen daughter and husbands….. Thank you for the reminder to live life to the fullest. I will pray for you and all the women who have lost husbands. Thank you for sharing.

    • Michelle Matthew-Calloway
      May 25, 2016 at 5:09 PM

      Tanya,
      Thanks so much for reading and responding, and ESPECIALLY for your prayers! Losing a spouse is HARD. Shucks, losing anyone we love is HARD. As you said, those occurrences give us a harsh reality check and wake-up call. Thanks for lifting up widows and widowers in prayer – we need it and it means so much! <3

      • Christine St.Vil
        May 30, 2016 at 12:51 AM

        Thank YOU Michelle for sharing so openly and honestly and making sure that we hear stories like this. So often we take situations and circumstances for granted, and we need these reminders that we are not promised. My best friend just lost a good friend of hers a week after she gave birth to their second child. Her husband is now left with two children to pick up the pieces. Life just really isn’t fair sometimes 🙁

        • Michelle Matthew-Calloway
          May 30, 2016 at 5:34 PM

          Christine, that’s so sad! We say “life is short,” yet I believe we don’t really know or understand what those words REALLY mean until we’re faced with loss. That poor husband, and those poor motherless children! So heartbreaking. I pray he’s able to pick up the pieces of his life and somehow move forward, and that he has a strong support system in place to help him with the children.
          Michelle Matthew-Calloway would like you to check out…Loving Day Celebration – And A Podcast First!My Profile

    • Christine St.Vil
      May 30, 2016 at 12:47 AM

      This truly was one of those things that stops you in your tracks and reminds you of what’s really important. I thank God for every moment, every minute He blesses me with my husband and our loved ones.

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