Make it Count

Early on in my summer break this year, something glitched in my laptop, and I lost the wallpaper that had been on my screen for years. It was something I had put together myself, with a backdrop of a breathtaking night sky and my favorite quote from Charles Spurgeon. When I went to put the picture back on my computer, it was nowhere to be found.

I was disappointed, and after spending more time on it than I probably should have, I finally stopped and prayed about it. With no solution in sight, I went to the design site I use for my blog graphics and put together a new wallpaper.

I found a good background and threw a text box in the middle. Then I paused and prayed again. I knew that whatever I put up would likely be there for some time, and I wanted it to be impactful, something meaningful, but short enough that my brain would register it even when in a hurry.

I finally settled on one simple, three-word phrase: “Make it Count”.

At the time, I was mostly thinking in terms of my summer break, and the need to use the time wisely as I focused on my writing. But as the schoolyear began and I worked to settle back into the balance of full-time teaching, writing, and a busy ministry season, the reminder has taken on a new depth of meaning.

Philippians 3:13-14 says,

“Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Pressing toward the mark can look so different from one person to the next, and even just in the varied seasons of life. And yet, for every Christian, there is a pressing on, a reaching forth, a persevering through the power of the Holy Spirit.

For me, these fall months are a season where I feel all the effort and strain of pressing, reaching, and striving. It is a full season, a season full of opportunity and useful labor, but it is also a season of late nights and early mornings, when I often have to fight to get the time I need for prayer and Bible reading—and I often have to fight to keep my eyes open and mind alert when I do sit down to read and pray each morning.

But pressing on in this season means finding time, making time to spend with God, because the physical weariness and busy schedule mean I need His help and nearness all the more.

Everyone has battles to fight, whether against temptations in the world, weaknesses of the flesh, or enticements of the devil. Each of us is challenged to press forward in whatever season we find ourselves in.

It is helpful to remember that God gives each of us a set period in which to fulfill His purpose for our lives. Psalm 90:12 says,

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

Each of us has a limited time here on earth. We may not know the exact number of days we have on earth, but we do know that they are numbered.  God calls us to remember, to value the days He has given us, and to make the most of each moment He gives us. Ephesians 5:15-16 says,

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

That word, evil as the idea of hurtful in effect or influence. When I looked up the word in my Strong’s app, the Thayer’s definition caught my attention: “full of labours, annoyances, hardships.”

Dear reader, does life seem full of labors, annoyances, or hardships? Look beyond the “evil” of the day and remember that this life, this time God has given you is to be redeemed—the difficulties of daily life made beautiful by the prize for which we strive. Press on, dear Reader, and whatever season you are in, make it count!

“Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.” 

Colossians 4:5