Using my days well

I’ve always liked the idea of “using my days well”. When I was teaching I could look back on the day and see what had been done. Now that my children have left home and I’m heading up to 60 I still like to use the day well. My mother quietly did - and perhaps I want to be like her.

I like to look back on the day and see that I’ve finished something or done something to help or written a card and addressed it and put it in the letterbox. But I’ve been challenged about this in the last few months. What is a day well used?

I was watching “Call the Midwife” while I painted my brown dining room chairs white. Yes, another thing done. (so proud!)

In one of the final episodes Sister Mary Cynthia after a horrific incident in her life, enters the Northfield Hospital, to spend time healing and recovering both physically and emotionally. I realised I was concerned about this. What would she do all day there? How many months or years would she have to stay? How she would use her days well? Would she be able to run bible studies, visit hospitals, do good works, deliver babies or paint the dining room chairs? Thankfully I quickly realised how ridiculous my thoughts were.

(Image credit BBC. Sister Mary Cynthia on left)

My husband and I recently had two months in England for long service. We spent the days walking though the countryside and relaxed in the long summer evenings. No emails, no events, no planning and no responsibilities. I realised how much of my prayer life had been about my activities. Prayer for this event, for wisdom, for my concerns about this situation or that. Suddenly I was on holidays with just walks, food and relaxing. Was I still a useful Christian?

Paul writes in Philippians 1:9-11

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

May I remember that all my fruit comes from Jesus Christ and that my days are for God’s glory and not for my pride.