Teach us to number our days so we can be more present and see the beauty in every moment.
Hey there friends, and welcome to the first episode of 2020 it seems so crazy to say that, and today’s episode is going to… Reflect my, mental state as far as, seeing time go by.
So we got to the end of last year, and right when people are talking all about goal-setting and looking back on what worked for last year and what didn’t and all that good stuff, I realized I could barely remember it and here I was only a few days at the end of the year.
And I didn’t want that to happen again this year or honestly for any other year to come, and I don’t want to say that it scared me, but I was like, what a waste that is.
Our mind is just working so hard to get to the next thing and we don’t understand or see what’s going on in front of us.
I know looking back in 2019 that good things happened. I can see the results of the work I have done. We went on vacation, supposedly, at least that’s what my calendar tells me… I do remember a few things about it, but like, come on, I should be clear on what happened. It was only 8 months ago…
So my brain was so far into the future that I was not taking in those moments that were right there in front of me. And so that’s what I want to talk about today learning how to number our days.
Finding ways to remember the day and to be present. And so before I get into the “how-to” choose, I want to explain how my last day or few days have gone…
We are a week into this new year and I haven’t set goals yet. And the reason for that is I have just been soaking up what God is placing on my heart and the direction he wants me to go. Because honestly, that’s why we do this online work.
You’ve heard the statement, be careful what you wish for. Well, I had come to my realization that I had just explained to you about not remembering much of 2020. Let’s just say when you ask God to help you number your days and be present with what is going on in front of you?
Boy, howdy. Is he going to give you some things to go to, to bring you back to reality?
So, without giving too much information on one of the things that have started to drive me a little bit bananas, um. We have three dogs in the house.
But what you may not realize is that two of them are miniature dachshunds, a male, and a female, and neither are fixed. And this week has been my female height of her heat cycle….. I’m just going to leave it at that.
And so if you’ve been around dogs that are in such a way, let’s just say it is not a quiet time at all. Everyone is squabbling and the males are fussing with each other and the female is getting annoyed with the male… So that makes for a crazy household for sure.
And then yesterday happened, I had very good intentions to start the morning off with recordings and editing. And I woke up to a computer that did not want to open up to windows.
So that resulted and having to completely wipe my hard drive and re-install windows. So that took several hours and a lot of re-downloading all of my programs and softwares. The moral of the story is to be careful what you wish for my friends, I was able to get a little bit of work done and I will be talking about how I recouped from that and didn’t let the entire day go to waste latter.
I said, be careful what you wish for because God will teach you what you ask him for.
So where do we get this phrase numbering our days? Well, it comes from
Psalms 90 verse 12 where it says, so teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Coming from a learner’s heart that just makes it so much more clear that we need to just continue to learn and grow and do the things that we are meant to do on this earth, but also do our best to bring our minds down into the present, and to not allow ourselves to think too far ahead because we can easily lose track.
Number Your Days
The worldwide average for man’s life expectancy is 70 years old, and for women, that’s 72 now, obviously, depending on genetics and all of that and it’s going to be different for everyone.
I know that typically my husband and I will probably live to be quite a bit older than that.
The point is to get an estimation of how old you could be. So for us, I’m just going to go ahead and go with 80 years old.
So Brian just turned 30 this year. Sorry, babe for telling your age.
The point is, is that if we say we have until we’re 80 there are
50 more Christmases… 50 more birthdays… possibly 50 more summers that we can enjoy together outside. The truth is we are not even guaranteed tomorrow.
And when you look at that and you go, Ooh it no longer looks like “just one” more celebration together…
When you realize that the more you advance the less time you have left.
And so what I want you to do, even maybe you’re not married, look at it for yourself. Look at it and go, if I live to be 80 how many birthdays do I have left.
How many more summers do I have left to enjoy the hobbies that I love to do outside? How many more summers can I plant a garden? How many more summers can I work with the animals that I love? Or how many more Christmases do I get to enjoy?
As you start to see them go away they become oh, so much more valuable.
It’s not as many as you think.
Slow Your Mind Down
How can we constantly correct ourselves too to keep our minds aware of the time that we have left?
First, I want you to realize that you’re not going to be perfect at it all the time. It’s the same with time management or learning to set new habits. It takes time and you may never be perfect at it, but when you recognize that you’ve gotten a little bit off track, then you can self-correct and get yourself back on the path that you want to be on.
It’s the same as if you got lost. It happens to us every once in a while, but you just self-correct and you end up back on the path towards where you were going.
So one thing that I think for a lot of people, our work causes our mind to go further ahead then we should. Whether you work at home from your own business or you are a mama trying to keep the house from burning town, you have work. So no matter what your work looks like, whether you leave home to get to a job or it’s all right from your laptop, whatever the case. We all have work.
Letting our minds think too far ahead or saying, “how can I just get through? ” will keep us from seeing the beauty in what is right in front of us.
Plans are great and there is also a Bible verse that says, without a vision, the people perish. But we have to be careful to not let them take over our thoughts.
We are created to have a vision and things to work towards, but we need to remember. The days that we have left, even if they are super simple and we are just going about our daily routines.
When you catch your mind speeding up and starting to think about the things to come, slow it down. Just take a breath and tell yourself you’re working too far ahead, girl. Slow down.
Stop saying. “If I can just get through.”
I caught myself saying this a lot from early November until we got through Christmas and when we are thinking, if I can just get through to this date, that is going to speed up your mind and it’s going to cause you to think further ahead and not enjoy the moment you’re in.
Another thing, and I’ve kind of already alluded to it, is being mindful of the day that are right in front of me. So days like this week, and my goal is to keep it as simple as possible, but even in those simple days be mindful of what you are doing.
I get to sit here and record this podcast for you and talk to people from all over the world who will eventually listen to this.
And if I just thought of the things that I have to do instead, say, I get to do this, it slows your minds sound and brings us to a more appreciative state.
Do Things Differently
Another way to help yourself number your days. It’s to do things differently. So we constantly do things the same and we are creatures of habit and will admit I love my ruts.
We do so many things, the same times, on the same day, and that’s okay. That’s totally fine. Routines are what help us be productive and help us get things done. But when it comes to events and celebrations, shake things up.
Days like Valentine’s day and sweetest day and all of those things. Why not celebrate them a little bit early, or maybe change up how you do it. Don’t do the same things all the time. One year, go all out and then the next year keep it a little bit more simple.
You don’t have to do things the same every year.
When you’re trying to get stuff done in your home when it comes to daily work or keeping the laundry or dishes done. All of those things when we continually do them the same day every time our minds go quiet. We’re not present with where we’re at. So when you can, change things up. That helps you to focus and be present on where you’re at currently, whether it’s something that’s boring like doing the dishes.
We have those dishes to do. Some people don’t. And so when we can be mindful of that, we’re able to be more grateful for that.
Asking God To Help You Number Your Days
So like I said at the beginning, be careful what you wish for because God will bring your mind to the surface and you will definitely not be losing track of your days.
On top of the computer having to have windows re-installed and all the good things.
I assumed that days podcast episode was in the hosting service and I went in to schedule it. Nope, it wasn’t there. So, you know, things will happen and that’s okay. But it’s a blessing because we’re here, we are able to do things that others are not able to. And so whether you are just trying to keep your home alive or you are able to run a business or just a social platform and speak life into other people and helping them in some way. Be grateful for that. Turning what seems like a problem or more work into ” I get to” will help you number your days.
So that’s it my friend. If you’re struggling with trying to keep your mind center focused and just being present where you’re at, know that you’re not alone and just keep at it.
