“Teach us to number our days”

So I turned 29 this year, and one thing I’m really discovering is this; the older I get, the faster time seems to be passing by. I don’t know how to explain it, but the clock really does seem to be sprinting faster than someone running away from debt collectors. It’s really jarring at times. Don’t get me wrong, I think the passage of time is a beautiful thing; getting old is a gift to be cherished, as not many get to experience this, and just going through different phases of life, meeting the different versions of yourself, and having more and more experiences, are all wonderful things. Where this thing with the passage of time can get a bit dangerous, is when we lack awareness and stewardship.

Each of us has a fixed time to be on this Earth assigned to us. I know, I know, it’s a humbling thought, but it’s true. Coupled with that, each of us has a purpose, gifts, and talents that we’re meant to walk in and pour out while we’re here. Sadly, many of us live as though we have all the time in the world, and this lack of awareness of our set time leads to poor stewardship of our time. The thing with time is that, once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. This is why I think that time is more valuable than money; as long as you’re breathing, money can always be acquired and reacquired, but the same can’t be said about time (unless someone has built a time machine that I’m yet to hear about).

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

Being a good steward with your time doesn’t mean you have to be on a continual daily “grind” and never take rest days – that would make you a workaholic, and you will burn out. Rather, it means being intentional about working on the things God has laid on your heart to do, planning, following through and not procrastinating. Or, if you don’t yet know the gifts and plans God wants you to carry out, being intentional about seeking Him about it, to ask for discernment and clarity. I think we should approach each day with an attitude of, “what can I do today, however little, that makes a difference to my life?”. This can include resting too, or working on our health, even investing in our relationships. It doesn’t have to be a fancy task or enterprise, but can be the little efforts that we put in to make each day count and contribute towards the overall fulfilment of the things God wants us to do.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

James 4:13-14

The harsh reality is, none of us knows what tomorrow will hold, so we need to live out our days with intention. I don’t write this to scare you, neither is it my aim with this post to induce fear or anxiety about how long you have left on Earth (especially if you’re a Christian as you should know we have hope and eternal life in Jesus, and that life continues, and will be better, after this side of eternity). I write this to encourage all of us to be more faithful stewards over all God has given us, including our time. Each of us will give account to God on what we spent our time doing, and whether or not we accomplished the things He set for us to do in the time we had.

Time is a currency – what are you exchanging yours for?

P.S. who else can’t believe that it will be November next week? Before we know it we’ll be saying, “Happy New Year”, and that’s wild to me. Lol.

xoxo

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