My mother
is a great shopper. When she shops for groceries, she reads all the nutrition
labels and considers the best deal by looking at the price per unit. But her
best trick is looking for the “use by” date. She doesn’t just grab the first
gallon of milk she sees, but rather she goes for the gallon with the latest
“use by” date so she can bring home the freshest milk from the store.
In a
sense, our lives are marked by “use by” dates—except that none of us knows the
exact date when our heart will expire or we’ll take our last breath on this
planet. Given that reality, shouldn’t we try a little harder to capture the
moments we’ve been given? Capturing the moment means that we’ll do things like
love more deeply, forgive more quickly, listen more carefully, and speak more
affirmingly.
Paul
gives this good advice: “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but
as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:15-16). He also
instructs us to “walk as children of light . . . finding out what is acceptable
to the Lord” (vv.8-10).
Since none of us knows our “use by” date, we should capture the opportunities to brighten our world with the love of Christ today!
Live each day as if it’s your last. (RBC)
