Live With Two Days in Your Calendar
The Gregorian calendar gives us an average of 365.2422 days per year, and I suspect most of us can identify five to 10 of those days that are uniquely special to us.
When I think about the most important days on my calendar, for instance, three immediately come to mind: my wedding anniversary, my wife’s birthday, and Valentine’s Day.
Trust me, gentlemen, if you are married, you don’t want to forget those days. Then there are the birthdays of other family members and friends, and, of course, two major holidays, Christmas and Easter.
What else merits a mention?
The opening days of various hunting seasons are huge for many men. Maybe opening day for baseball (I prefer the college variety). Or a solar eclipse. And in addition to the 12 official federal holidays, there are more than 1,500 “sponsored” days, so maybe you are a fan of National Fruitcake Toss Day (January 2), National Something on a Stick Day (March 28), or National Chocolate Covered Anything Day (December 16).
All fun and worthy of designation if that’s what you enjoy.
But I read something recently by Ken Boa, a pastor in Alabama, that reminded me that we should experience all of those days with two other days in mind.
“Live with two days in your calendar,” Boa said. “Today and … that day when you stand before Jesus.”
Those words really hit me, probably because I realized how often I fail to do what seems like such an obvious and essential spiritual discipline.
Boa’s not suggesting that we forget the past or that we shouldn’t plan for the future, but that we should treasure each day as a gift from God and filter our thoughts, words, and actions in light of eternity.
In other words, whether we are reminiscing about, planning for, or celebrating one of those key days, we should do it in ways that glorify God. And we should do it every day, not just on special occasions.
This might look like an overtly spiritual activity like serving at a soup kitchen or attending a Bible study, but it also might look like having a tea party with a grandchild, mowing the lawn with gratitude for the grass, or watching Arkansas lose a football game without cursing at the television.
“This is the day the Lord has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24, CSB)
From the mundane to the extraordinary, God wants us to approach life by consistently keeping him in his proper place (and us in ours).
“Every day we are called then to dethrone the self and enthrone Christ,” Boa said. “Going from a geocentric worldview, me, I’m at the center, to Christ is at the center and to change the rules dramatically. So, in that context then, in every day, I’m called to be a person who sees that this day is a gift and I am now going to put Him on the throne.”
The things of this broken world – the culture, spiritual forces directed by Satan, and our sin nature – work against us, of course, but there are things we can do to strengthen our daily commitment to living for eternity.
For example, for several years I’ve tried to start every day – before I even get out of bed – with a prayer that covers four elements that help me keep Christ on the throne:
Gratitude/humility: God, thank you for breathing life into me.
Support/wisdom: God, fill me fresh with your Holy Spirit.
Priorities: God, if I accomplish nothing else today, help me love Jesus more, know Jesus better, and serve Jesus well.
Surrender: God, I commit my plans and this day to you.
Those, by the way, are all borrowed from other people, so feel free to borrow them from me and personalize them as you will.
When I get distracted and off track during the day – not if, but when – the quickest path back for me is to remember those prayers, confess my mistakes, and re-surrender my world to Jesus. Then I can walk forward in God’s grace and forgiveness while looking forward to seeing Jesus face to face. What better day will there ever be than that? And what if it’s today?
“He who testifies to all these things says it again: ‘I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon!’ Yes! Come, Master Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20, The Message)