By Kristen Robinson
Psalm 90:12 – So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 19:14 – Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
Nearly three years ago, my family experienced something totally new and bizarre for all of us – the passing of both my paternal grandparents within 48 hours of each other. While the passing of elderly grandparents isn’t bizarre in itself, it felt especially bizarre to say good-bye to this Godly couple together in the same funeral. My grandfather served as a minister in North Dakota for nearly his entire life and spent his “retirement” reviving a little church on an Indian reservation in Selfridge, ND. My grandmother was not only an extraordinary support to my grandfather but also a hardworking, go-getter who somehow balanced raising five kids with generously sharing their home with traveling missionaries, people in need, and whoever else they felt led to shelter. You could always count on Grandma to shed a tear at every family reunion, quoting 3 John 1:4, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” They were wonderful grandparents who showered us kids with love and taught us our first memory verses and instilled in us love for hymns. Needless to say, their loss was felt extraordinarily in our family.
In preparation for the exodus to the funeral in North Dakota, I purchased some new music to listen to during the drive. I had just downloaded Needtobreathe’s new album, and one of the songs from that album was titled, “Be Here Long,” with the chorus repeating, “We don’t get to be here long.” Throughout my time in ND we ran into many old friends, and my sisters and I were constantly reminded that “it was only yesterday that you were in the nursery” as familiar faces remembered us as kids in the church. My family had many stories to tell about life as pastor’s kids in western North Dakota, and many stories of the good old days that felt “just like yesterday.” The nostalgia and sharing of memories continued to remind me that “we don’t get to be here long.”
Although the brevity of life was on my mind, I was also constantly reminded by everyone I ran into that my grandparents touched their lives in powerful ways. They shared stories of how Grandpa led them to a relationship with Christ or about when Grandma opened her home to them when they had nowhere left to go. No one let me forget that my grandparents were a spirit-filled ministry team with honest, genuine love for Christ that overflowed on everyone they interacted with.
“We don’t get to be here long,” yes, but what we do with our short time here can impact those around us long after we’re gone.
I left the funeral grieving for my grandparents’ passing, but with an even stronger charge to live my life with a renewed love for Christ and His people. We don’t have long here, but God has given us all the right amount of time to live for Him and help those around us do the same, if we seek His will in our lives. He longs to bless us and others through us, but only if we seek Him daily by surrendering our lives to His marvelous plan. I don't want to spend one day of my life not pursuing Him! His Word tells us in Colossians 3:23-24, "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."
What will you do with this awesome responsibility in 2020? We don’t get to be here long!
Passage Guide: Acts 22 & Psalm 100