A Life that Counts

We have no way of knowing how many days the Lord has ordained for us on this earth, but we need to be prepared for heaven whether we’re 92 or 29. There will be no second chances. 

 

 

2MefromHim Devotional

 

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

 

“Every night I pray to die and in the morning I thank God for another day.”

 

My mother-in-law died a few weeks ago, following many years of severe pain. At ninety-two years old, she had fought as long and hard as she could. As the end approached, we took her home to die. She sat propped up in bed visiting with her family, telling us how much she loved us, reiterating that she had lived a long and very good life, and giving her last instructions.

 

“We have so much to be thankful for,” she said time and again. “Remember the good things.”

 

Oma (Grandma in Dutch), didn’t ask deep theological questions, she took God at His word and believed. There were days when I knew every step was excruciating, yet she chose to walk into church with her walker, refusing the wheelchair.

 

In those last days, she laughed with her family and was heard more than once to say, “You can pray for me, but don’t pray for me to live.” She was ready for heaven, facing the end of life with a mental acuity that amazed everyone, and her sense of humor never waned. Jesus had promised heaven and she was ready.

 

Psalm 90 was written by Moses. Oma would have agreed with verses 9 and 10: “[W]e finish our years with a moan. 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.” Yet she faced each day with indomitable courage and little complaint.

 

As heaven drew closer, she never failed in her faith, if anything it grew stronger. She finished her fight well. I know she would have agreed with Moses’ final words in the psalm, “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.”

 

I want all of my days on earth to matter. If I keep my eyes on Jesus, I need never doubt that He will make my life count for something in this world. Like Oma, my example will draw others a little closer to God.

 

© Norma Gail Thurston Holtman, February 10, 2014

About the author:

 Norma Gail’s contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, released in 2014. She is a Bible study leader, and writes devotionals for ChristianDevotions.us, StitchesthruTime blog, and “The Secret Place.” She belongs to American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. She is married and has two adult children.

 

Connect with Norma:

www.normagail.org

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNormaGail

https://plus.google.com/b/102717101441594679714/+Normagail/about/p/pub

http://pinterest.com/normagailth/boards/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7874459.Norma_Gail

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/norma-gail-thurston-holtman/42/71a/3b2

https://twitter.com/Norma_Gail

 

Book Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Land-My-Dreams-Norma-Gail/dp/1941103170/ or

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/land-of-my-dreams-norma-gail/1119606864 ?ean=9781941103173

Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas Bookstore: http://store.lpcbooks.com/product/land-of-my-dreams/