Numbering Our Days

A Bible verse that has spoken to me many times in my life is Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” There are three ways in which I am experiencing this admonition to “number our days.”.

The first is in the start of the new year. We number our years, we number our months and we number our days. This allows us to live with others and coordinate schedules so that we can be at the at the same place at the same time. The passing to a new year also gives us an opportunity to mark the distance that we've travelled and to reflect back on where we've been.

Another way in which we number our days is in the stages of life. We number the years since our birth, we number the grades we are in at school and we number the amount of time we’ve lived in various places. This is my 6^th year as a District Superintendent of the United Methodist Church living in Storm Lake. My term will be completed next June and I will be returning to a local church to serve again as a pastor. Knowing that I have a limited number of days before I complete this assignment helps me to focus on what is most important in the time I have left.

One of the things I've learned as a superintendent is the importance of being clear about our purpose. Jesus gave his followers the mission of making disciples for the transformation of the world. In order to fulfill that mission, I have come to believe that we must first be a disciple, and then we must raise up disciples who can carry on when we are gone. We should be able to name the people who are discipling us and also be able to name the people that we hope will carry on when we are gone. I have said this to my pastor colleagues and it applies to me as well. That is what I will focus on in the time that I have left. This means leaders who can earn trust, cast a vision of God’s preferred future and then disciple others to help them get there. It will look like people who are helping each other to see Jesus and become more like him.

A third way that I am numbering my days is in thinking about my whole life. One of my best friends from high school passed away suddenly in December. Craig Light and I shared a locker and played football next to each other on the offensive line. We remained friends after high school and connected at reunions and over Facebook. On my birthday last year, Craig posted a prayer for me which included the following:

At the 40th anniversary of our
 HS football state championship

“Let him feel confident and ready for the year ahead knowing that You have an order to his steps and a purpose for his life. Help him to find joy in every circumstance in life, knowing that You work all things out for good.” 

Craig’s passing has helped me to reflect on his life as well as my own. He was always offering words of encouragement and gratitude. Now that he is gone, I hope to better follow his example and carry on his legacy of encouragement.

I invite you to join me in the prayer that God would “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” If we remember that our greatest task is to raise up disciples of Jesus Christ who can carry on when we are gone, then we can be focused on that during the time that we have. That is how we can allow God to make the most of the days we will have in the new year, our current assignment and our entire lives.