Seize the Day!

One of the songs in the late 1990s that made the biggest impression on my life was recorded by Carolyn Arends, a contemporary Christian artist. The song was entitled "Seize the Day" and serves as a reminder of how fleeting life may be and how quickly it passes by us. A number of times throughout Old and New Testament scriptures, we are all reminded of the temporary nature of the life we live. Quoting an earlier passage from the prophet Isaiah, Peter reiterates the following:

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever."

[1 Peter 1:24-25]

In the version of "Seize the Day" recorded by Carolyn Arends, she considers the lives of three other individuals as they reflect on their own lives and ponder their philosophy of life. With the final verse of the song, the attention is turned to the artist herself who has chosen to express herself using music as a means. Regardless of where these individuals have been, what they have done with their lives, what they choose to do or where they choose to go in the future, the common theme is expressed in the words of the chorus:

"Seize the day, seize whatever you can

'Cause life slips away just like hourglass sand

Seize the day, pray for grace from God's hand

Then nothing will stand in your way

Seize the day!"

Probably all of us would agree that life is short and that we need to make the most of each day that we have life and breath on this planet. The sands of time slip away like those tiny grains inside the hourglass. Whether you are the young novelist living in Manhattan, the talented young physician or the mid-life crisis male attempting to drink away his sorrows and regrets, the message is that we all have choices.

Those choices include becoming so self-absorbed in our lives that we completely ignore or shut out anyone else in the world around us. Or we may choose to follow our dreams even at the expense of fame and fortune. A young up and coming physician leaves his six-figure income, along with modern clinics, hospitals and readily available medicines and supplies. Instead he chooses to work in an African clinic in less than ideal conditions to heal the sick, oftentimes working through the night. He has clearly chosen to "seize the day".

What is that we need to do to "seize the day" in our own lives? Years ago I purchased a refrigerator magnet with a quote on it- a simple black and white square with large bold lettering. In the words of Henry David Thoreau "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have always imagined!" There is another man who is the antithesis of the young doctor in Carolyn Arends song. He is middle-aged, sitting in a bar drinking whiskey. Filled with regret, he wishes that someone would have told him to "seize the day" when he was younger and had his life ahead of him.

The final verse of the song we have been considering lays it out very clearly. "Every one's got a dream he can follow or squander. You can do what you will with the days you are given!" All of us would be wise to spend our days on the "business of living". We have an option. "Seize the day," making the most of our time and following our dreams. Or we can spend much of our life, perhaps the rest of our lives until we die, regretting our decisions and blaming others for not knowing the opportunities that might have been available to us.

~DB Turnmire