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Time is a gift

By Karen Farris, Op-ed contributor Monday, December 30, 2019

Oh, the things I save….like my old calendars. I imagine that years from now, those calendars, with my daily entries, will trigger memories. But I also saved two calendars that weren’t mine.

They were a 1991 calendar from my mom, and a 2006 calendar from my dad. I can still read their handwriting, as they both had written down special birthdays that would be celebrated. I can imagine they both thought that the year ahead would bring time.

It did not. Cancer and illness defined those years. So, as I hold onto those two final calendars, I also hold onto the last lesson my parents unwittingly taught me: time is a gift. Open each day and treasure it. Just like 2020 vision, may the Lord help us see how to use our time wisely in the year ahead.

“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is.” Psalm 39.:4

Karen Farris served in the crisis pregnancy ministry — traveling thousands of miles and speaking to over 10,000 students about their life choices — for nearly a dozen years. She became a grant writer and helps find resources for projects that serve those in poverty, mainly children. She's been a blogger since 2010 — Friday Tidings — sharing stories of faith, life, and purpose to give hope in a hurting world.