Don't Wish your life away!

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.3 You return man to dust
and say, Return, O children of man!4 For a thousand years in your sight
are but as yesterday when it is past,
or as a watch in the night.5 You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.7 For we are brought to an end by your anger;
by your wrath we are dismayed.8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.10 The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.11 Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?12 So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.13 Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.16 Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!(Psalm 90)
When I was a child, I remember laying awake at night thinking about, dreaming about the future.  I would think about the wife I would have one day, the places I would travel one day, the job I would have one day, the stuff I would buy one day, the strong follower of Christ I would be one day, and the list seems to go on and on.  Many of the things I would think/dream about were always future tense.  There was no definitive plan to get me there, other than the simple passage of time.  Years later as a young adult, I remember anxiously waiting to one day be done with school, to one day start a career, to one day get married, yet at the time it seemed like these things were so far away.  Still more years later, having gotten married and started a career, I remember wishing every workday was Friday...anxiously wishing for the weekend.  I remember when my daughter was born and thinking "I can't wait until she sleeps through the night", "I can't wait until she smiles", "I can't wait until she says her first word", "I can't wait until she crawls", "I can't wait until she stands", "I can't wait until she talks", & "I can't wait until she is potty trained".  
If you have never read Psalm 90, pause your day right now and go and read it (I've shared it above for your convenience).
Our time on this earth is VERY short, Especially if you look at it from God's perspective.  70 to 80 years is all we are likely to have.  Tonight I feel very convicted by how much of my life I have spent wishing my life away, while missing all of the goodness He has provided right in front of me.  No more wishing my life away!  I'm glad today isn't Friday, or the weekend, I am just happy it is today.  I don't want to miss out on the goodness of today because I am so fixated on the future (which is not guaranteed anyway).   I want my days to be spent like verse 14-17, I want to be satisfied in His steadfast love.  
Do yourself a favor, and STOP for a few moments each day.  Take a good, intentional look around, and see all that God has created and blessed you with.  You will be amazed how much is taken for granted.  I see trees standing majestically on the skyline, a sunset that I can hear God say "I made this just for you!", God's love reflected back through my daughter, the beauty and gentleness of the Holy Spirit in the compassion of my wife, the symphony of  frogs and crickets in God's creation singing His praise, the heavenly scent of Coffee in the morning, and the list goes on and on...His creation is glorious, and He built it to bless you/us.  
I think Ferris Bueller may have put it best "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around everyone once in a while, you could miss it".
Don't miss your life and the blessings that God has put right in front of you!