Teach Us To Number Our Days

Did you ever wonder just how many days you have in this life?

Teach us to number our days! Yes what a tremendous thought. We sang that little chorus in church yesterday, entitled Teach us to number our days. It is based on a verse in the Psalms.  The little chorus kept echoing through my thoughts yesterday and I started to ponder.

I know I have contemplated many times on exactly how many days I have been allotted in my lifetime. Is it genetic? Will I live into my eighties like my grandmother’s did? Will it be a car accident or a plane crash? When I was diagnosed with a brain tumor those thoughts of death were definitely preeminent in my mind. I’m sure I am not alone in wondering about this subject.

I attended a funeral recently of a Mom who passed away leaving behind 5 children.  Of course the heartache was felt by all who attended that service.  You begin to entertain those swirling thoughts in your mind of why now? How will these children cope? Then the thoughts of how much time do I have?

I believe we all have a number of days to live our lives on this earth.  We don’t know that number and because we don’t I believe it’s of the utmost importance of how we choose to live each day.  After my brain surgery, my first thought upon waking each morning was a prayer of thanksgiving. I was so grateful to have renewed health. After 6 years, it is not my first thought in the morning and I realize how much I take for granted.

I heard a story about a woman who was paralyzed as an infant and had to use crutches and a wheelchair for the rest of her life. She was a positive person who accomplished many worthy things throughout her life despite her handicap. When someone questioned her about her incredible drive she simply said “it never paralyzed my heart or my mind”. Oh what a lesson we can take from this woman! I have been on crutches several times for months at a time and it’s a tremendous battle. I think the value we can place on what we have to overcome is where real character is built. This paralyzed woman made a decision to number her days in a manner that left a legacy that was worth following.

I read a story a few days ago about a 95 year old man who was one of the greatest cello players in the world. He still practiced 6 hours a day! Wow! When asked why, he simply said “he was making progress”. That’s the key. You need to make progress every day of your life.  There is such a huge boost to our mental state of mind when we make progress. When I plant my garden in the early summer, I eagerly check everyday for those seeds to come up.  Once they are up I then check for progress. They have to make progress EACH day to ever bring forth the necessary fruit. When it’s time to harvest, I pick the produce and can it into jars. When those lovely sealed jars are lined up on the counter, I know I have made progress! The long summer days of weeding all had a purpose to my eventual goal of those full jars. There was a select number of days needed from the planting of the seed until the canning of the produce.

It is the same with our lives. We need to value and make progress each day.  It could be our last opportunity to be used by our Heavenly Father. It could be as simple as a smile, a phone call or a prayer to lighten someone else’s load. Teach us to number our days!