6,192

FOCUS

Do you ever have trouble with this?
Boy, I do.
I had an eye appointment today. Just my usual checkup. At one point in my exam I had my chin resting on this little ledge thingy and I was looking through this big eye lens contraption and my doctor was switching lenses around in front of my eyes. She would close the left lens and concentrate on the right eye and say, “Is it this, or this? One, or two? Three, or four?” Then she’d switch to the left eye and do the same thing. “One, or two? Three, or four? This, or this?” The letters would go in and out of focus as she switched the lenses in and out. I’d tell her which ones looked clearest and she’d make adjustments. Finally, she opened up both lenses at the same time, and everything cleared up.

It’s amazing how clear everything looks when both of your eyes are open.

Where do they go?

There are days when I feel like I am walking around in an unfocused fog. I go through my everyday…working…maybe reading a little. I fix dinner. Watch some TV. Sometimes a workout happens, sometimes not. On weekends, do a bit of laundry, grocery shopping, meal planning, food prep for the week. Then start all over. And before you know it, the days pass…the weeks pass…the months pass.
Another year is gone.
And I think to myself…how did that happen?
Where did it go?
When did my tiny baby niece get old enough to start school? When did my dad’s hair get so white? How did I get that gray hair in my eyebrow?! This year was my high school’s 35th graduation reunion year. 35 years since I graduated from high school. 35 years. Thirty. Five. Years!

Past history

But you want to know what the really sobering thing is? Looking back on those 35 years and taking stock. Do you know how many days are in 35 years? 12,775. 12,775 days in 35 years. What did I do with all of those days? What has been my journey? There are definitely some roads I have taken that I would not care to go down again. And some roads led to experiences I wouldn’t trade for the world. When it came to making decisions. When it came to, “is it this? or this?” The roads that led to grief and heartache were the ones where I only had one eye open. Where I chose not to look with both eyes to see clearly where God wanted me.

Psalm 90:10 & 12 says, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty…So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.”

A challenge

A former pastor of mine was challenged to number his days.
So that’s what I did too. 
I numbered my days. I picked 70, like in the verse. Just so I could focus. To keep my eyes open.
Both of them.

And so, as of this day, there are 6,192 days until my 70th birthday.
6,192 days to live with intention. To live with focus. To live with a Kingdom mindset. 6,192 days intentionally living life reaching out to others, making disciples, walking alongside people, loving them, forgiving them, showing them in whatever capacity I can, who Jesus is.

Each day I will mark a day off. And at the end of my 6,192 days, if I am still on this earth, I will start over with a new number. 

I challenge you to do it too. If you are already past the 70 mark, try 80…or 90. Or just whatever age you think God wants you to go to.  

Do it

I challenge you.
Number your days.
Live with intention.

It’ll be a sobering thing for you too if you take it seriously, to see your number.
Do you want to see clearly where God wants you?
Don’t let the days, weeks and months pass by and suddenly another year of your life is gone and you never did one thing to live intentionally for the Kingdom.
What will you do, to focus?
Do what it takes to keep your eyes open.

Both of them.

Photo by Behy Studio (unsplash.com)