“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12
(A few light spoilers ahead for The Odyssey*. If you’ve waited a month to see it, that’s on you.)*
I watched The Odyssey on opening weekend, and there was one scene that stayed with me long after the credits rolled.
Odysseus has been stranded on an island with Calypso. In the movie’s telling of the story, he discovers that years of his life have slipped away while he’s been living in a constant state of comfort and distraction. When he realizes he’s been there for seven years, his reaction isn’t relief. It’s heartbreak.
Seven years.
Seven years that could have been spent returning home.
Seven years that could have been spent with his family.
Seven years that he can never get back.
As I sat there in the theater, I couldn’t stop thinking, How many of us are eating the lotus flower?
Maybe not a literal flower, but something that quietly steals our attention one day at a time.
It’s so easy now.
One more episode.
One more scroll.
One more video.
One more article.
One more notification.
None of those things are necessarily sinful. I enjoy relaxing too. I probably spend more time crocheting than I should sometimes, and I certainly enjoy sitting down with a good book. Rest is a gift from God. But there’s a difference between intentional rest and unintentional drifting.
Lately, almost every morning, I’ve been writing Psalm 90:12 in my planner:
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
That verse has become a quiet reminder before I start my day. Lord, help me remember that today matters. Help me choose what matters most and invest my time in the things You’ve actually called me to do.
I’ve started thinking less about time management and more about self management. We all get the same twenty four hours. The question isn’t whether we have enough time. The question is whether we’re directing our attention toward the things that produce lasting fruit.
Paul writes in Ephesians 5:15 through 16,
“Be very careful, then, how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
Notice he doesn’t simply tell us to be busy. He tells us to be wise.
Our attention is one of the most valuable things we possess, and there are countless people and countless algorithms competing for it every single day. Entire industries are built around keeping us engaged just a little longer. If we’re not careful, we can wake up years from now wondering where the time went.
Wondering why our walk with God feels stagnant.
Wondering why our dreams never became reality.
Wondering why we never started the ministry, wrote the book, served our neighbors, invested in our family, or pursued the calling God placed on our hearts.
Not because we chose something terrible. Because we kept choosing something temporary.
I don’t want to reach the end of my life and realize I spent it consuming instead of creating.
Scrolling instead of serving.
Watching instead of walking.
The good news is that today is still today. If you’ve been eating the lotus flower, you don’t have to keep doing it.
Turn off the screen.
Pick up your Bible.
Call the friend.
Take the walk.
Write the page.
Serve at church.
Start the project.
Have the conversation.
Do the next faithful thing.
Because every day God gives us is another opportunity to live on purpose.
So today, ask yourself one simple question: What is my lotus flower?
Then ask the Lord to help you number your days, live wisely, and spend your life on the things that will still matter long after today is over.
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Jasmine Lozano 