By Brenda Cannon Henley
“Don’t wait to do the things in life that you have always wanted to do. Life is short. Live every day.”
The above quote was sent to me in a card over the weekend and I read it several times. I have to say I agree with the sentiment more than I ever have in my life. But, then, that may very well be because I am older. I do know that time goes by much more quickly than we can ever imagine. When I was a young teen, I could not imagine when I would ever turn 16 and be able to get my driver’s license. Now, I wish I had someone to drive the car for me. I also wondered if I would ever grow up enough to find a true sweetheart, get married, and have children of my own. I wanted to live in that perfect little home with a white picket fence, two nice automobiles in the drive, happy children, a faithful husband, and lots of fun vacations to exotic places pictured on travel posters. I looked forward to cooking the big holiday meals, decorating for all the holidays and to each personal bulletin board I would design for each of my children.

Many of my dreams came true in time, but death and disappointment also visited. We learn as we mature that things are very seldom exactly as we dream or want them to be. Human beings disappoint other human beings. We fail at some of our goals and we often do not reach our potential, but as long as there is a tomorrow, we can try again. Illness, injury, and indiscretions threaten us and we make way too many trips to the cemetery, especially as we get older, but life goes on for the living.

The Book of Ecclesiastes is a wonderful group of teachings in Scripture. The very wise man, Solomon, penned these words by inspiration from God. He was taking a good, long, hard look at life and attempting to reason how one generation comes while one passes away from this earth. He wrote about the wind and the majesty of nature and he told us that there really isn’t anything new under the sun. He wrote of his own accomplishments, and they were many, including possessions, servants, and great wealth. Chapter 3 is well known to many. I just heard it quoted at my beloved aunt’s funeral in Georgia.

“To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. A time to kill, and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up. A time to weep, and a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Verse 11 reminds us that God hath made every thing beautiful in his time.

Those last three little words in Verse 11 can help us a lot of we allow them to do so. “In his time,” is the key. As humans we want everything when we want it. We are so accustomed to the “me now” concept of life. Instant gratification is something most desire. Inventions and improvements in living conditions for many give us the basis for this way of life. We want food. We cook or buy it and eat. We want to travel. We get in our automobiles or on a plane, and presto, we are there. We want to make a purchase. We go to the mall or pick up our mouse and order online. We want company so as not to feel alone. We pick up the phone or turn on our computers and communicate with the entire world. My Ted often reminded me that the www is short for World Wide Web and that my writings literally went around the world.

There are times when we wish our lives would move along more quickly. Perhaps we are experiencing difficulty, pain, disappointment, and loss, and we just want to break out of the hurt and go on to something better. When we hurry life along, we may be missing what God wants us to learn, see, and experience in this valley. I personally have learned more in the sorrowful times of my life than I have in the joyful.

God’s timing is not our timing. He doesn’t work on the same timetable we do. 2 Peter 3:8 teaches us that with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day. We are reminded in Acts 1:7 that it is not for us to know the times or dates the Father has set. Galatians 4:4 teaches us that God sent His son in due time. We need patience to wait for His will to be done in our lives and I living out His plan for us.

One of the saddest commentaries I can think of is to die and know we have not fully lived for whatever reason we have drummed up in our own conscientiousness. We must quit waiting for the morrow and get out there and live today. I want to die living every minute of every hour the dear Lord has set forth for me, and as the funny little writing says, “Skid into that grave on a banana peel from my last big ice cream creation.”

(This column is dedicated to my buddy Retired Marine Sgt. Warren Adams, who lived every minute he was given. RIP, friend.)

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788, or
[email protected]

[11-12-2018]