It’s easy to measure our days by productivity—what we checked off, accomplished, or completed. But Scripture gently redirects our focus. Instead of organizing life around endless tasks, we’re called to live with intentionality, recognizing that our time is limited and deeply valuable. When we “number our days,” we begin to see life through an eternal lens, not just a daily agenda.

Many of the things that consume our time won’t matter a year from now—let alone in eternity. What will matter is how we loved, served, and walked with God. Shifting from a task-driven mindset to a purpose-driven life doesn’t mean abandoning responsibility—it means putting first things first. As we slow down and invite God into our daily rhythms, we begin to align our priorities with His heart, finding peace in what truly counts.

Highlights

To-do lists can quietly become idols that control our time and focus
Numbering our days shifts perspective from urgency to purpose
Eternal impact matters more than daily productivity
God values how we love and serve others over accomplishments
Slowing down allows space for meaningful, God-centered moments
Busyness can distract us from what truly matters
Living wisely means aligning daily life with eternal priorities

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Full Transcript Below:

Numbering Our Days

By Cindi McMenamin

Bible Reading:
“So teach us to number our days,

That we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NASB).

Does your to-do list seem overwhelming at times? Whether you keep yours on paper, like I still do, and relish the joy of crossing each task off, or your list exists in the notes section of your phone or the inside of your mind, we all feel that burdening sense of all that we must do.

I realize some of it is important. If you don’t grocery shop, what will you eat? If laundry isn’t done, what will you wear? If the project isn’t sectioned out in steps and worked on daily, when will it be completed? Yet what on that list, daily, will matter a year from now, 10 years from now, or in the scope of eternity?

Somehow, somewhere, the almighty To-Do List rose up before us and called itself God. And we continue to bow down to it.

Having been raised with a strong work ethic, I used to find it difficult to be “unproductive,” even when I was on vacation or feeling worn down, and my body was saying, “rest!” It used to be more difficult for me to slow down and not get things done than to muster up the motivation to do them. Yet the older I get, the more joy I am experiencing in putting aside the to-do list and prioritizing people over productivity.

In Psalm 90:12, Moses asked God to help him realize his days are numbered so he could live wisely. In The Message translation, that verse reads, “Oh, teach us to live wisely. Teach us to live wisely and well.” Moses—a man whom Scripture says communed with God face to face—realized his need not to get caught up in meaningless tasks during the day, but to live wisely for the sake of eternity. If Moses prayed for that priority check, how much more should we?

Intersecting Faith & Life:

What if you and I were to number our days instead of our tasks? What if we were to make a list of what we wanted to do wisely and well each day (and before we leave this earth), rather than focus on all of the meaningless tasks that seem to be setting our schedules and ruling our days and minds?

When you and I get to heaven one day, there will not be a reward for the amount of money we made or how efficient we were on our jobs while we lived on this earth. There will not be accolades for the number of followers we had on social media, or the number of hits on our website, or the number of clicks on our Instagram videos. There won’t be any kudos for having the loveliest seasonal decorations, or being the most organized member of the team, or accomplishing the most at the company. All that we tend to honor or strive for or prioritize here on this earth doesn’t mean much to God in the scope of eternity.

In Micah 6:8, we are told what God honors:

“He has told you, mortal one, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God?”

To do justly, love kindness, and walk humbly with God amounts to tasks that benefit others. It involves serving. It involves assignments that might not be on the list at all, but rather compete with our tasks and add to our frustrations when they inconvenience or delay us. God works on a different timeline than we do, so that might be why He isn’t sympathetic toward our rush, rush, rush. And it might be why He continues to convict our hearts to slow way down.

God gave us enough hours in the day to do all that’s needed to fulfill our purpose in Him (to love Him and others and glorify Him in all we do). The things that may seem necessary to you on your list might not be that important to Him, or to anyone else, for that matter. Sometimes we put more pressure on ourselves than we need to.

Yet, as much as we’d like to walk away from it, we often let that blasted piece of paper, or that running list on our phones or in the back of our minds, dictate how much we will enjoy life, how much time we will spend in a phone call or visit with a friend or family member, and how much time we will spend on tasks that don’t look like accomplishment to the world, but represent wealth to the Lord.

Lord, help us to focus on the few things that really matter. Help us balance our list of tasks by ensuring people-related activities are included. Don’t let us waste our lives on paperwork, computer work, or busywork that won’t amount to anything in eternity. Help us number our days by filling them with purpose as we number our lists.

Further Reading:

Matthew 6:19-20

For help prioritizing your day with Jesus, see my book, The New Loneliness Devotional: 50 Days to a Closer Connection with God.

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