Redeeming Time

My niece and her husband own a restaurant in Chattanooga called Country Place ... good old-fashioned Southern cooking and good old-fashioned Southern atmosphere. I've eaten several meals there this week, including some totally incredible grilled chicken livers yesterday, and there's been a multitude of memories flooding through my mind as I've sat in a booth or at a table with my family. And we've talked a lot, as we always do when we're together, about Mom and Dad. About Mom's laughter that would cause her eyes to squeeze shut and make her look so cute. About Daddy's wonderful sense of humor and the twinkle in his eyes when he was playing a prank on one of us. And with all of those conversations, I've found myself once again thinking about the passage of time. All of us have aged ... all of us have at least some gray hair ... all of us seem to understand that this time together is precious and valuable. And all of us are thankful for the legacy that was passed along to us by Mom and Dad ... the legacy of family, the legacy of love, the legacy of faith, the legacy of laughter.

Today, my sister and I are going to visit my dear friend Burley, a woman of deep faith who has had a huge impact on my life over years, beginning when I was a rowdy and wild teenager. After our visit with Burley, we're going to visit the elderly couple who lived in the house behind my mom and dad for many years, Carl and Hazeline, two of the sweetest and most faithful people on earth. Burley and Carl and Hazeline have all experienced major health issues recently, and I know that emotion will tear through my heart when I say goodbye to them today. I know that I will treasure the time together with them, that I will soak in their words of wisdom, that I will marvel at the depth of their faith.

Yesterday morning as I was walking with Ollie around the perimeter of the hotel because of the rain, I thought once again about time and how I so easily take it for granted. I thought about how often over the last year I thought my time was over and about how I've pleaded with God to let me be done. And as I walked, He spoke to me through the music playing in my ears from my iPod. He spoke to me about life and living ... about shame and chains ... about lost days and faded time ... about open arms and all-forgiving grace. My prayer this morning is that God will burn the moments of this week deep into my soul, that He will help me to remember that it's not over ... that He redeems my time and that His grace walks in every single day.

 
"And all you wanna do is turn back time
And redeem the days you lost.
But shame keeps calling out your name
The chains refuse to fall.

But it’s not over, it’s not over
This is the moment grace walks in.
With arms wide open, arms wide open
To tell you this is not the end.
When doubt is strong and your will is weak to even believe again
That’s when grace, that’s when grace walks in."