Time

I was expecting some emotion…but not like that.I’m thrilled for my daughter. I officiated her wedding last Sunday afternoon. She married a really great guy who loves Jesus as much as she does. But just seeing her standing in front of me, looking so beautiful, beaming with joy, it was more than I could handle. In my mind, I was seeing the baby we brought home from the hospital…then the toddling "daddy’s girl" climbing into my lap. I remembered dancing to “Butterfly Kisses” on date nights, drying tears from hurt feelings in middle school, the treks out west to visit her in college…and so many more memories stuffed in among those. They flooded back as she stood before me with Scott (yes, another Scott added to the family), the young man we began to pray for when she was sleeping in the drawer on the floor of our bedroom the night we brought her home from the hospital.What is it about major life events that evoke emotion?I think the flood of memories remind us of the brevity of time. As my son often says, “With small children, the days are long but the years are short.” When you are on the backside of raising kids, you realize just how short the years are.But that reminder is a good thing. As the last decade has flown by, the next will even faster. And if we are not careful, we will miss the opportunities in it. Opportunities to spend time with our loved ones, to love those who need us, to serve Jesus by serving others. It’s why David prayed, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).This week I’ve been setting lots of goals and strategizing how to reach them. I know that the years in front of me on this planet are fewer than the years behind me. So I want to make the most of them. Yes, all because of officiating my daughter’s wedding. I’m strategizing the future, to make the most of what is ahead.“Be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days" (Ephesians 5:16-17, NLT).