Calendar Dates

March 17th

July 4th

December 25th

Dates that are meaningful to most of us.

But what about:

February 12th

August 3rd

October 27th

These are dates meaningful to me and just a few others.

On February 12th, my beautiful girlie was born.

My boys entered the world on August 3rd.

And, Lawrence made my day and my life by proposing to me on October 27th!

But, then there's March 16th. At the start of 2002, I anticipated that date on the calendar with great excitement and joy. It couldn't come soon enough. It was my wedding day. And, every March 16th since then has been looked forward to with joy.

But, it wasn't always that way.

March 16th is also my late Father's birthday. Since his passing in 1989 until 2002, March 16th was a day I would approach with sadness or at times, anger. It was a day that reminded me of the first major tragedy in my life, my Father's death.

Many of us have calendar days like that. Days that are ordinary to everyone around us but extraordinary to us. Days that are sometimes anticipated with dread and despair. Days that can't come and go quick enough because they mark some pain filled experience in our life.

When choosing a wedding date, I was blessed beyond words to have March 16, 2002, fall on a Saturday. We chose that day to honor my dad. God chose that date to show me something about Himself:

The Keeper of time is the Redeemer of time.

Not all my calendar days that represent something sad in my life have taken on something happy or more celebratory in my life quite as nicely as March 16th. But, I can still come upon those dates and "re-write" them if I chose to view them through the lens of who God says He is and how He says He works in our lives.

Psalm 103:2-6 says,

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
³who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
⁴who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.

Romans 8:28 says,

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

and Jeremiah 29:11 says,

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Dates exist for me that I still approach with a sense of sadness. But, I also approach those dates and the memories they hold armed with truth. God does and will redeem ALL events in my life and the lives of every one of His children. He will set all things right one day. And until then, I can trust that He is using those sad or grievous events for my good and often the good of others as well.

By faith, I will trust the Keeper of time to be the Redeemer of time, and I will love Him more as I see redemption unfold year after year.