Numbering Your Days
by Michael S. Tyrrell
November 24, 2020
Happy Tuesday, Wholetonians!
Have you heard the saying, “Your days are numbered”?
Now, I know that sounds a little ominous, but I promise I’m coming to you from a very positive perspective, so please bear with me! The Autumn season has me pondering this theme.
With the leaves changing into their gorgeous shades of red, orange, and yellow mingled with green and finally brown, they create a beautiful palette of colors for our eyes to feast on.
But this change is actually signaling the end of one season and pointing to the ushering in of a new one. When this happens, we all want to get outside and take in the beauty of the trees in all their glory because we know these colors don’t last. It won’t be long before the very last leaf falls to the ground, leaving us with a bunch of bare-branched trees.
It reminds me that, like our seasons, life is short and we need to appreciate every moment we are given because this life–this season–won’t last forever.
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” ~ Psalm 90:12
This particular Psalm was written by Moses; and what He is asking of the Lord is to teach us to prioritize what’s really important and to be able to apply wisdom to our lives.
In practical ways, you probably number your days already and don’t realize it.
If you’ve marked a loved one’s birthday or put your baby’s due date on a calendar, you’ve numbered your days. What this does is give you a set timetable so that you can prioritize and know how much time you have to prepare for that special day or event. If you’re wise, you won’t spend that preparation time on things of less importance and be caught off guard.
In a spiritual sense, this prayer of Moses is about recognizing the brevity of life. It’s not about counting down actual days as in the practical example above, but it’s still about prioritizing what is of greater importance in our lives.
Understanding that our life on this planet is short is important so that we can ask God to give us the wisdom to make good decisions that will affect us into eternity.
If we focus too much on the things that don’t matter and spend all our energy on reaching temporary goals, stressing and worrying about circumstances, we are taking precious time away from focusing on the things that really DO matter.
No one has ever whispered on their deathbed that they wished they’d spent more time at the office. At least, I hope not, since that would be the epitome of an unwise person!
The most important decision we can make in life is… to choose LIFE.
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” – John 14:6
After this we can prioritize all the other weightier matters in life, from spending time with loved ones and letting them know how much we appreciate them, to decisions about work and play and relationships and everything in between.
Numbering our days is all about priorities and getting them in order.
I’m so glad God has offered us His wisdom to get them straight so we can use our time here wisely.
With this in mind, as the Thanksgiving Holiday is upon us, take the time to be thankful, appreciate and focus on what is truly important and enjoy the simple joys of spending time with loved ones. So, from our Wholetones family to yours, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Be Whole,
Michael S. Tyrrell
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