A Thousand Years a Day

by Macy Johnson

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:

With the Lord a day is like a thousand years,

and a thousand years are like a day.”

(2 Peter 3:8 NIV)

 

I can imagine a thousand years being as short as a day in God’s mind. But I never imagined a day to be as long as a thousand years.

 

Then one day I was given a new perspective. My husband and I watched the movie Groundhog Day on Groundhog Day. It is one of my favorite movies, because it delves into the mystery of lapsed time. The main character, Phil, was forced to experience the same day for hundreds, maybe thousands of times in order to become the person he wanted to be. What he originally viewed as a curse became a blessing to him and many others.

 

Phil served so many people of the small town each repeated day, that on the last day everyone remembered and thanked him for what he had done that one, last day. He did not realize the impact until he woke up to tomorrow. After all the do-overs, failures, and successes, he was finally ready for his new life. And, of course, in the process, he changed for the better.

 

I tried to get my head around all the little things Phil did that made such a lasting impact on others. I believe that is exactly what God means for us. We are to live every day with a purpose to become the best servant we can be, always thinking of others before ourselves. The impact on each person we come in contact with can last years, perhaps forever. What we view as a day, might be counted as a thousand years in eternity.  

 

I will serve to create an eternal impact today. I hope you will too!