Seize The Day
“Teach us to number
our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
Carpe Diem. On the surface, it may not seem like much,
but it is much more than meets the eye. It’s
simply Latin for “Seize The Day.” Make
the most of the time and experiences that God has given you.While more fluent
in Hebrew than Latin, Moses knew what it meant.
He wrote in Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we
may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Though more
proficient in Greek, Paul could define it as well. He sums it up in Ephesians 5:15, “Be very
careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every
opportunity because the days are evil.”
How easily we find
ourselves taking for granted the days that God has given us. Too often, we let them drift by like sands in
the hourglass without so much as a pause of their significance. On many occasions, we fill them with
activity, work, and entertainment without stopping to ask our Lord what He
might have for us to do today.
A few years ago, in
the famous movie, “Dead Poet’s society,” Robin Williams played John Keating, an
English teacher at an elite New England prep school. On the first day of the semester, he enters a
classroom filled with students, only to draw them away from their desks and
into the hallway. There, standing in
front of a large wooden case filled with the pictures and trophies of young men
from years past, he looks down on his roll sheet and, searching for a name to
call, addresses the class.
“Now,
Mister…Pitts…Mr. Pitts, will you open your “hymnal” to page 542. Read the first stanza of the poem.” The student finds the section and questiongly
reads the title, “To the Virgins to Make Much of Time?”
“Yes, that’s the
one.” Looking at his pupils, the teacher
adds, “Somewhat appropriate, isn’t
it?” Knowingly, the students
laugh. Young Mr. Pitts beigsnt o read the famed
verse by Robert Herrick: “Gather ye
rosebuds while ye may/Old Time is still a flyin;/And this same flower that
smiles today/Tomorrow will be dying.”
“Thank you, Mr.
Pitts, ‘Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.
The latin term for that sentiment is ‘carpe diem.’ Now, who knows what that means?” A bespectacled student near the front
replies, “Carpe Diem, that’s seize the day.”
Talking a little
further with the class, he reveals why they are standing in the halls. “I would like you to step forward over here
and peruse some of the faces of the past.
You’ve walked past them many times. I don’t think you’ve really looked
at them.” The student gaze into the case full of photographs. For the first time, they look into the eyes
of those who walked the hallways before them.
At that point, he points out the similarities in features, sense of
immortality, and hopes. Then he adds,
“Gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils.”
Then,
himself whispering as if to give voice to the past, Keating says,
“Carpe…carpe…carpe diem. Seize the day,
boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”
As we move into this
Memorial Day Weekend, remember that God has created us not as ordinary but
extraordinary, not as average but excellent, in making the most of each day. Many who are no longer with us were willing
to give their lives for a cause greater than themselves on the field of battle
so that we might be free. We can stand
forever grateful for them and also live with a higher calling unto
ourselves. As the Psalmist said, “This
the day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. May we use it to the utmost to honor Him and
treasure each moment…with an extraordinary focus.
Terry
Risser
Reflections:
1)
In what way can
you “seize the day” with gratitude and purpose?
2)
Invite God to give you a new understanding of each days
value?
Consider reading the Word today:
Copyright 2014- Terry Risser
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