One
Day to Live
By Karen D’Amore
“Teach us to
number our days…”
Psalm 90:12 (NIV)
I was packing for vacation when I
learned of my friend’s hospice placement. It’d been eighteen months since her
diagnosis with stage-four pancreatic cancer; a diagnosis carrying a death
sentence that doctors believed would come quickly. After being advised to get
her affairs in order, Pam embraced the uncertainty of her tomorrows. Living daily with
the mindset that she had…one day to live…she used every doctor’s appointment
and chemo session as a platform to point others to Jesus. With Jesus perpetually
radiating from her cancer-ravaged body, she allowed Him to use her cancer for
His glory.
I felt conflicted about leaving on
vacation knowing Pam’s hospice status and the uncertainty of her numbered days.
Thinking this over while waiting in line to board my plane, I had an epiphany. We
all stood in numerical order according to the pre-assigned numbers on our
boarding passes. I couldn’t board the plane and choose a seat until my number
was called. As I pondered this boarding system, I saw parallels in the numbered
days of our life. We’re each holding a boarding pass…to our final destination…
but with an unknown number. Unlike the sequential order of our numbered
boarding passes for the plane, only God knows the number we hold. God has predestined the number of our days!
As my number was finally called, and
I boarded the plane, God stirred in my heart a strong conviction regarding
“time” and the brevity of life. As I
thought about Pam, I was keenly aware that God would be calling her number very
soon. And as I reflected on the past eighteen months of her life, I was
impacted by how she lived each one of those days as if it were her last. Living
with a hypersensitivity to the briefness of her time…she allowed God to redeem
her limited “time”…for His express purpose.
Regarding the uncertainty of time, I
spent my vacation deeply introspective. My souvenir watch serves as a constant
reminder that our days are numbered. This fact of life was reinforced when Pam’s
numbered days came to an end - - just days after my return home. Reflecting on
the many years that she and I were friends, I will best remember and revere how
she redeemed her final eighteen months. How she profoundly impacted my
perception of our “numbered days” and revealed the value of using our time
wisely. I’m inspired to live with her mindset of having only… “One day to
live!”
As the minutes on the clock sound…Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock…remember to make each day count
for the Kingdom…as tomorrow is never guaranteed!
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
How can you gain an eternal perspective regarding your time?
FURTHER
READING:
Married to Dan, Karen, a retired
police officer, currently works as a Manicurist at Craig Berns Salon and Foot
Care Specialist at Shorehaven Senior Facility. She’s on the Oakwood Women’s
Ministry Special Events planning team.
