Numbering Our Days

My favorite translation of this verse is from The Living Bible: Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should. - Psalm 90:12

On New Year's Eve, something happened that really brought this home to me and got me thinking.

When I got to work at 11:45 PM, I learned that one of my patients died twenty minutes before I got there.

This patient had been quite ill and was ready to go and be with the Lord but it just struck me that she would not be entering 2016 with us on this side.

And so I have been thinking on this Psalm.

Contrary to how it may seem, it is not morbid or dark to remember that our time is limited.

Rather, it is a way to keep in mind that it is a blessing to be setting goals and making plans for 2016, our lives are a gift, and we are to use our time well.

With that in mind, I looked back through my sermon binder from church for notes from a couple of sermons from Pastor Chris in late August and early September on dealing with stress and managing time.

I'm going to share them here for anyone else who also may need to do some restructuring this year.

From his Running My Race sermon, he said:

- It is better to have less of what doesn't matter and more of what does.

- It is better to live by design, not by default.

- It is better to get the right things done, not more things done.

- We should regularly take inventory to see if we are participating in the right activities, make tough decisions, and focus on what matters most.

- In the big picture, God matters, people matter, and eternity matters.

He also mentioned something that I really need to work on: If you learn to say "no," you'll trade popularity for respect.

The following week, he offered a list of five things he tries to do every day:

1. Prayer

2. Read God's word.

3. Show love to family and friends.

4. Make a difference in someone's life.

5. Take care of myself.

Going in to 2016, I plan to use his list of five things for myself each day and work toward better time management for myself and my family.

There are some activities that probably need to go and also some, like helping at the Dream Center and joining a small group, that I hope to add.

I hope this is helpful to someone else too.

Happy New Year, y'all!