DIVINE TIME MANAGEMENT –

If anyone knew what it was like to wake up every morning expecting the unexpected, it was Moses. In dealing with the people he led out of Egypt, he came to understand the brevity of human life and how everyday trials and burdens can end up making it even shorter. He accepted the fact that life is given to us like a gift, full of perils and possibilities. It’s what we let God help us make out of it that counts, not how long we have in which to do it. When thinking back over difficult circumstances Moses may have said more than once, “I wish I would have known that when I was younger.” But he didn’t use that as an excuse to stop improving. He knew that God was not interested in how long he lived, but in how he live to carry out God’s will for his life.

“O Heavenly Master, You’re the One that’s been around as long as anyone can remember. You existed before mountains were formed; before there were people on earth; yes, from the eternal past to the eternal future You are in control. When you tell a person it’s time for them to die, they will immediately return to the dust from which they came. For You, a 1,000 years fly by like it was yesterday; it’s like a short nap. In fact, people’s lives are like a stream of water to You; when the rain stops, the stream runs dry. They are also like grass that sprouts and blossoms in the morning, but by evening it dries up and is mowed down. That’s what happens to those with whom You are not pleased, and the very thought of it terrifies us. Our weakness are not hidden from You in the dark because the light of Your face will expose them for all to see. When that happens it will all be over in a split second, and our last breath will be nothing more than a moan. We may reach 70, maybe even 80 years of age, but most it will be spent dealing with troubles. Then before you know it, it’s over and we soar away. No one knows what it would be like if You let everyone know how You really feel about them, nor the fear that such straight talk would evoke in men’s hearts. So teach us what to expect in life so that we grow smarter as we grow older. I think we’ve learned enough, O LORD Eternal, so there’s no need to continue Your punishment. Rather, it’s time for You to have compassion on those You’ve chosen to serve You. That way, when we wake up in the morning we will sense Your abiding love so that we can appreciate the rest of the day. Help us enjoy as many good days as bad ones, so we can be successful and our children can have a good life. I pray that You will be delighted with us O Heavenly Master, our One True God; and make whatever we put our hands to, a success.” Psalm 90:1-17

Reflection: U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon toured Calcutta, India with Mother Teresa and visited the so-called “House of Dying” where she cared for sick children during their last days; and the dispensary where the poor lined up by the hundreds to receive medical attention. Watching Mother Teresa ministered to these people, feeding and nursing those left by others to die, Senator Hatfield felt awestruck and overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the suffering she and her co-workers faced daily. “How can you bear such a load without being crushed by it?” Senator Hatfield asked. Mother Teresa replied, “My dear Senator, I am not called to be successful, I am called to be faithful.” As we saw in the life of Moses, failure to follow instructions in being faithful to the job given to him by God. It ended up costing Moses his passage into the Promised Land, as well as those who rebelled against God because they did not understand or care to follow His ways. So let Moses and Mother Teresa help us learn the difference between trying to be successful while depending on fate rather than faith. The greatest words you will ever hear are: “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”