Today is Memorial Day here in the US. It’s a day set aside to remember and honor the lives of our military sacrificed to serve and protect us. All gave some, but some gave all. We wouldn’t have what we have and live the way we live if not for their all that was given. So today, we remember them. We mourn them. We honor them. We pray for their families. Let us not be ungrateful brats bickering over our differences of opinions, becoming so divided in a country that was paid for with precious blood to be united.

Today is also celebrated as the unofficial start of Summer 2023. For my sisters who have endured a long, hard winter of ridiculously cold days, your blessed Summer time is here. You spent the entire winter dreaming of that warm sunshine, now it’s finally here. School is out. The kids are home. Vacations are happening. The swimsuits are going on those bodies that have been wrapped up in layers. (And this is a PSA to all my sisters dreading the swimsuits … please know your loved ones just want you in on the fun, so please don’t sit this out! You can’t afford to declare you won’t be partaking in the summer fun because you aren’t happy with your body. Let’s work together to love our bodies, care for our bodies, and stop hating ourselves into a sad, lonely, hot corner, where we refuse to get in on the fun because we insist on wearing pants. It’s ridiculous.)

Summer 2023 is here! And this will all be over in just 98 days. You get 98 days of unofficial summer this year. 98 days from today, Memorial Day, to Labor Day, the ceremonial end of summer.

And here’s what I know from experience, and you do too, these 98 days will go fast. Time will not slow down. The days will come and they will go, and they will pass quickly whether you’re living them or not. So Sis, God’s suggestion is for us to LIVE THEM!

Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

What if this could be our prayer for Summer 2023? Lord, teach me to number the days of this summer so that I live each day well and waste nothing.

Moses is asking God for wisdom to account for our time. To know what’s important and what is not. To spend our precious days on things that will matter. To value the moments in the days God has given us.

Only God can give us the divine wisdom to best live this summer. Only he can show us the value of these 98 days. Only he can open our eyes to the preciousness of this specific summer. So today, on day 1 of Summer 2023, we pray, “Lord, teach us to number the days of this summer so that we live each day well and waste nothing.”

What if you started a countdown of Summer? Today is day 1. Tomorrow is day 2. July 4th is day 37. August 1st is day 65. September 4th is the final day, day 98. This is numbering our days so we gain wisdom. This is acknowledging life is passing and this is precious.

What if we could consider every 24 hour period of the Summer 2023 as something valuable God has entrusted to us? Each day is not only a gift from God, but a responsibility to take the 24 hours and live them in a way that honors their true value. How can we live each numbered day of this summer in a way that honors the graciousness of our God for giving us the opportunity to even be here? How can we be faithful with our 98 days?

I remember when my kids were home, how summer would quickly turn into a messy house, bored kids that wanted to bicker, and a grouchy mama yelling more than I wanted to admit. And now, I realize just how numbered those days were. How precious they were. I only got 18 summers with them. Just 18. Then they were gone. I don’t get them back.

If you have kids at home, I pray you learn to number these days so you gain a heart of wisdom. The heart that knows these summers are so short and precious and passing quickly will certainly live differently. The heart that sees the value of each of these 98 days will not want to waste one.

Today is day 1 of my 47th summer. How many summers have you had? How many more will you get? It’s limited. It’s precious. When you learn to number them, they represent their true value.

Tomorrow will always threaten to steal the joy of today. Don’t let it. Don’t dread the work. Don’t dread the change. Don’t dread what you’ve imagined may come next.

This past week has been a sober reminder of the countdown on our lives which we live unaware of. I learned of a beautiful teenage cheerleader who died from fentanyl. I learned of a young pastor who’s vehicle collided with a train, killing his two little girls, leaving him and his little boy seriously injured, and a mother with more pain that I can possibly imagine. I learned of a young mom, pregnant with twins, who was in a car accident which took the lives of the mom and both unborn babies, leaving a 2 year old behind.

This is real life. It happens. I don’t understand it. I don’t agree with it. I can’t stop it. And this real life comes and touches every single one of us at some point. But, Sis, if you’re here today with an ounce of anything to be grateful for and joyous over, then you simply cannot afford to waste this!

Day 1 of Summer 2023. A heart that fully understands the gift of this day knows how precious and limited it is, and will live it differently. A heart that has learned to number their days, seizes the opportunity to live in the middle of what is and values each opportunity given to them by a gracious God who has gone before them in the Summer of 2023.

I’ve created a bucketlist of 100 simple, fun and creative ways to enjoy your 98 days. The BIG Life Summer Bucketlist is free for download and posted all over my social media. Find BIG Life or me, Pamela Crim, on Facebook or Instagram and look for the bright orange and pink image. Which item from the list will you choose today? Will you take a jumping photo? Will you watch the sunset? Will you go for a hike? Will you have a family BBQ? Will you eat dinner outside? Will you have a campfire? Will you run through the sprinklers? Will you blow bubbles? Will you go to the park? Will you use the fancy dishes? Will you eat a snow cone? Will you pick flowers? Will you go fishing? Will you have a deluxe PB&J picnic?

The real question is, will you live? Will you live like tomorrow isn’t promised? Will you live like this day is of tremendous value? Will you live like this day is a prized and precious gift entrusted to you for the purpose of living it ridiculously well and honoring the giver of the gift with your attitude and actions?

It’s day 1 of the 98 days of Summer 2023. Lord, teach me to number the days of this summer so that I live each day well and waste nothing.

Follow Pamela on Instagram – https://instagram.com/headmamapamela
Find out more about BIG Life – http://biglifehq.com