Grace-Testimony
Numbering my days
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalms 90:12, NIV). Today most people live above 100 years.
I want to share the hard way I experienced life. I didn’t know how to number my days. Through many struggles, I learned that the number of my days had several stages of life. The youth, young adult, childbearing and rearing, middle-age crisis, and now going to old age plus my peaceful homegoing. I went wrong many a time. Now I can share some know-how learned then, awaiting to know more before my homegoing in peace.
The Youth and young adult
As a youth, I had not many worries, for I was under my parents’ care and decision-making. During my childhood and a born-again Christian, I spent years lost among multitudes of different ages. I listened to many things about life. And I had little understanding of the meaning of many of them. I grew up waiting for some of those things to happen to me one time in my life. I will decide which direction to go. At this age, the path was smooth. For much of the time, I followed instructions. I did not think that death could happen to my parents or me.
The adult life
As a helper suitable to a husband, Genesis 8:18, I entered the marriage in the greatest joy ever, and I thought it would be all merry. All I knew was a guy-a, a young minister of the gospel in Presbyterian Church of East Africa in Kenya, loved me, married e, and will be with me the rest of my life. The statement “till death do us part” went in through one ear and out the other. Transferred to heaven, he left me after a marriage of forty-plus years.
The ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ
The young ministers were emerging then; those before were few and older: they. They served in their locales man to marry me was from more than a hundred miles away. I knew little about nature, life, and church work. I knew people go to work at 8:00 am and return home at 5:00 pm. I thought it would be the same for my pastor.
Baby making
I had five pregnancies, four living kids, and one miscarriage; I worked full time and was fully involved in church as a pastor’s wife in eight years. I had a ten years break before the fifth child was born.
The primary purpose was mixed-up.
All attention and cheering was directed to me by my husband, relatives, friends, and community during the pregnancy and bearing children. Some were checking the baby’s likeness to the father, an important cultural phenomenon in my culture. At that moment, my husband became almost alone in his surroundings. The duty of the helper suitable to him gradually diminishing.
The motherhood
The kids, visitors, the church activities, the work deprived me of much of a helper suitable to my husband. My culinary job did not provide me with paid maternity leave. After a few days, I worked from home, then back to work.
The strength
I was relieved when the kids did most of the things for them. The fresh energy made me pleasure my husband to drive the car as he moved the first time we married—the car analogy to the body. I did not realize that initially, the car engine my husband drove was new, and all the parts were new. The rider in the new car was fresh and robust, and the road was smooth with no hills. And no limit for the number of rides per day before the kids were born.
Car in parkway
In fifteen busy years, the car gradually slowed down. Less engaged, the speed slowed down with the rate down with short stops while on the rider. The passenger was not satisfied with the pace of speed with a short ride. The passenger had many unanswered questions. Both the driver and the rider never realized their body’s biological changes over the season of fifteen years.
The car deprecated
It was until I understood the depreciation of the body over the life span from the literature and taking a course that explained the increase in years cause invisible body biological changes. The only thing both saw was a gap on my upper teeth widening, a mold growing on my right chine, and the skin losing its softness.
The children alert
The numbering of my days’ purpose was to alert me of my age. My child said to me, Mami, you have grown old. You have mold that older people get. The other one told me, Mimi, your skin is no longer as soft and smooth as it was before.
The Temple
The body is the temple of the HolySpirit 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV.
As a born-again Christian, I placed much emphasis on the welfare of my spirit. My soul and mind were partially or not attended.
Both started reaping in spirit. My part of being a helper suitable to my husband’s soul was gradually affected. I occupied myself with other good things that were not God’s purpose of making me a helper ideal to my husband regardless.
The spirit vs. body
What is born of spirit is spirit, and born of the body is the body, John 3:6.
I mixed the spirit and body or renovated the primary purpose of God for creating me; I was designed purposely for removing my husband’s loneliness.
At times I was miserable and in tears. Unhappy time happened against my will. My soul was overload with ignorance of mixing the spirit and soul, which never met the purpose of helper suitable for my husband.
To save the situation, I would sing spiritual choruses, have private prayer, give testimony. The spiritual being was not the problem, my soul needed replenishment with regular rides, yet I replaced a ride with a song of praise. My husband was aware of my singing, and he openly questioned it. He was right; I needed a ride.
Medical Check-up
My doctor’s visits happened only during prenatal and antenatal clinics. I had no idea that my body needed the doctor’s regular annual checkup to correct anything harmful happening to my body without my knowledge. The answer to my problems was Prozac. It worked-the mood lifted, and a smile on my face.
The annual medical checkup is essential and available for all to help repair the body as the number of years increases and the body changes.
The menopause
At menopause, hot flushes run all over my face like I was in an oven. I rushed for the doctor’s help this time, and I remember my body feeling fresh and young. The fear of losing fertility treated, and I felt worthy once more. The treatment took a short time and was very beneficial for a long time. I gained balance. My heart stopped running at an abnormal speed that scared me. I have an annual medical checkup every year.
The health insurance helps pay bills for the visits. The health insurance monthly bill is minimal when one is young and with no health issues. Get it when a youth.
Take away
My takeaway, I share my experiences that numbering your days provide the knowledge to enrich the spirit with the Word of God and the soul with what is for the body. Avoid mixing that which is born of spirit with that which is born flesh (John 3:6). Have an annual medical checkup and eat a balanced diet. Observe the status of a helper suitable for the husband. I pass on the knowledge to my daughters, sons, grandkids, and other people that they number their days and do the right thing. For they are blessed and commanded to live fruitful lives. Genesis 1:28, NIV. That they pass on that wisdom to the present and future generations.