Have you lost your marbles?

I heard a story the other day about an older guy giving a younger guy advice.

He told the young guy about how 20 years or so earlier he had decided that he would stop taking his weekends for granted. He felt he had spent years wasting his days on sleeping until the afternoon, watching television the rest of the day and eventually falling asleep in his recliner. He felt there was something wrong with that picture, and decided to do something about it.

So he bought a bunch of marbles.

He grabbed an old glass jar from his garage and poured a ton of marbles in – one marble for each Saturday he had left in his life. He was 55 at the time, and assumed he had about 20 years worth of Saturdays left – about 1040 marbles in total.

Every Saturday from that day on, he’d start his day by going to his garage. He’d grab one of the marbles and carry it with him throughout the day, and at the end of the day he’d throw it away or give it away to someone. He said it reminded him that this particular day in his life would never come again. Having that marble in his pocket would make him think...how am I going to use this marble today to influence someones life?

He was telling this guy this story because on that day, he had picked the last marble out of jar. His eyes welled up a bit as he thought about the 20 years of Saturdays that had come and gone, and how dramatically different they were than the ones that proceeded them. How each one had a sense of urgency, of intention. How each was an opportunity to make his life a little bit better, the lives of his loved ones a little bit better.

He told the young man that he felt so fortunate, not only that he had been able to experience all those Saturdays, but that he’d been given more than he had planned. He said every single Saturday after this one was a gift, and his heart was filled with gratitude.

As he walked away from the young man, he told him to remember to number your days.

That story Pastor Don shared at Mercy Gate Church a few weeks ago and it really stuck with me because for almost 44 years I’ve taken my days for granted. They’ve lacked this kind of gratitude. They’ve never had the urgency that comes with the realization that you’re never going to get that day back.

I have always felt that life was going so fast; especially since adulthood. Months just fly by and now years seem to as well. Time is a precious thing and we need something to assist us sometimes to slow things down a bit and help us be more purposeful. So when my husband handed me his first marble the following Saturday;  I came close to tearing up. He was tellng me that I was very important to him and that he wanted to give me his TIME. Now how are you going to use yours?

Don't just lose your marbles but be intentional and GIVE them away....

I have 1,352 marbles left to reach 70 years old...I am definitely going to use them more wisely than the first 2,283!