Seize the Day!
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” Isaiah 55:6
Yesterday afternoon a friend from my church called to tell me that she had a possible “photo op” for me. She went on to say that in a tree behind her house there were several great egrets. I really didn’t feel like getting out but I decided I’d grab my camera and go check things out. Sure enough I found around twenty great egrets perched in a tree above the lake in town. What I also discovered was that this was not the tree she was talking about. There was another one on the opposite side of the lake that had just as many egrets sitting in it. No one seems to remember ever seeing that many great egrets in one place in Pikeville but for some reason they found their way here yesterday. I ended up getting some nice images of these beautiful birds.
After spending about an hour watching and photographing the egrets I drove back home. I stopped on the bridge that crosses the creek that runs across my front yard so I could check our mail. When I did I looked down and saw a lovely green heron looking for something to eat along the creek bank. Since I had my photo gear in the car I quickly grabbed my camera and tripod and was able to capture some good images of this bird which is also rarely seen in our community. I felt quite blessed to have had an opportunity to photograph both the great egrets and the green heron right here where I live.
When I drove past the lake on the way home from church today I noticed that the great egrets were no longer here. When I got home and crossed the bridge to our house I also looked down and saw no green heron in sight. It dawned on me then that it was a good thing that I got up and went out yesterday. Had I not, I would have missed both opportunities.
There is a lesson here we would all be wise to learn. Each day we should take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves. Just because something or someone is here today does not mean that will be the case tomorrow. Life is that uncertain and unpredictable. A few years back I often saw bumper stickers that said “carpe diem,” which means seize the day. That is good advice. We should make the most of our opportunities each day to tell people we love them, to do kind deeds to those around us, to learn something new, and to “seek the Lord while He may be found.” And, of course, if you are a photographer you would be wise not to put off until tomorrow what you can photograph today. There are numerous areas of our life where this same principle is true. That’s why it is so important to “seize the day” and make the most of each one God gives us. I’d suggest you start today.
–Chuck