Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them.’ Ecclesiastes 12:1, NIV

 

Some people jokingly say that youth is wasted on the young. They don’t yet appreciate what they have. When you're in the spring of your life, you're strong, full of vitality and filled with hope. You're ready to take on any challenge. There are numerous experiences to discover, places to see and things to do. When you're young, you have the energy and enthusiasm to live life to the fullest. You're not yet aware of the passage of time, and tomorrow still feels far away.

 

One of the greatest gifts in this season of life is learning to believe like a child. To look at creation around you with fresh eyes and discover how beautiful it is. To trust people easily and to see the good in them. When the faith of your parents serves as an example and inspiration, it's easy to believe in the goodness of the Lord during the springtime of your life.

 

Young people don't often read devotional pieces like this, and many of us have already moved past the stage where anyone would call us “young”. Father Time and Mother Nature may have been a bit harsh on us. We may not have the same energy we had as teenagers. We've experienced disappointment along life’s journey. Not all our prayers have been answered the way we would have liked. We know, as the Teacher (Ecclesiastes) describes, the days of adversity. As we grow older and our health starts to decline, we enter the more difficult seasons of life – the winter season draws nearer.

 

However, today is the youngest you will ever be again!

 

“Today” is a significant time in the Bible. Yesterday and its painful memories are behind us. Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:31 that tomorrow’s worries must be placed in God's hands. Psalm 118:24 (KJV) reminds us: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Jesus also taught us to pray for today's bread.

 

On my motorcycle jacket, there is a slogan: “It is never too late to have a happy childhood.” I get to choose how much I allow age to steal my joy.

 

Today is the best day to pay attention to your relationship with your Creator, says the Teacher. The younger you start, the stronger the foundation of faith you build your life upon. That faith will hold firm when the difficult days come.

 

Today is also the best day to go out and do something meaningful with the energy you still have– something you’ll one day remember with a smile. Don’t waste today on trivialities. Go and do something that matters. Visit an old friend. Find someone whose day you can make just a little better. Build good memories today that will sustain you one day when you can no longer move and do as you wish.

 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of today. Thank you for the life and health I still enjoy. Within whatever limitations I may face, please help me to live fully today and to create lasting memories. Help me to get to know you a little better today, and show me how I can make someone else’s life just a little more joyful. Amen.