Introduction: I was reading the book The Daniel Dilemma: How to Stand Firm & Love Well in a Culture of Compromise recently. It was a gift from friends from Sunday school class. It was an easy read; yet it contained several nuggets of wisdom. One such nugget of wisdom was this: “. . . remembering that our days are numbered can keep us focused on making the most of the time we have.” That is well said. It calls Scripture to mind: “So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, ESV).

Connections to Daily Life: Being separated from my family 6/7 days a week gives me a lot of time to realize just how much I miss them. I am profoundly grateful for my military opportunities, but at the same time, I do not relish the family separation it has entailed. I realize viscerally that time ticks only one way, that my time is fleeting. I won’t have opportunities to make up for time that’s elapsed. Our children have grown up way too fast, and I have missed way too much of that time. And that’s one of the reasons that little quote from the book sounded a chord in me: “. . . remembering that our days are numbered can keep us focused on making the most of the time we have.”

Encouragement/takeaway: When I was a student in university many moons ago, I remember watching a movie again and again, Robin Williams’ Dead Poets Society. Williams played the character of a classics/English instructor at a preparatory school for boys. I imbibed the film because it referenced scores of writers with whom I’m quite familiar—Shakespeare, Thoreau, Whitman, etc. One scene particularly gripped me. Mr. Keating (Williams’ character) had the boys look at the faces of boys who had passed through the prep school years and years before. Mr. Keating said to the boys, “Lean in and listen.” The boys, a bit confused by their teacher, thought it strange that their teacher would have them focus so much upon former students who were now long dead. Then Mr. Keating uttered into the boys’ listening ears: “Carpe diem, boys. Carpe diem. Seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary.”

Taken to an extreme, of course, that counsel would be folly. There’s a difference between seizing the day and burning oneself out: balance is crucial. But this little book from Hodges, coupled with the film from the 1980s, reminded me of God’s wisdom: “So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12, ESV).