Numbers

The LORD spoke to Moses in the Tent of Meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: "Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one. You and Aaron are to number by their divisions all the men in Israel twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army. ~~Numbers 1:1-3 NIV

Do you like working with numbers? I just do not think in numbers. I like to play BUNCO, but when it's time to add up the points, I pull out a calculator.

Yet numbers seem to be an important part of life, so I have had to adapt to using them and thank God for the tools we have as crutches for those math challenged people like me.

I've been learning a lot more about how to use numbers for discipline this past month. Remember my post about "Why Do I Do That?" I discussed my food nemesis, sugar. Well in order to help me get past the cravings and put restraint in my life, I've learned that numbers are involved.

For food, those numbers are called calories. The foods we eat contain calories and if we eat too many calories, it adds numbers to the scales when we step on them. I have avoided the numbers on the scales for way too long. I must face the truth to be free to change my reality. Avoidance does not work (another post for another time).

So to take control, I've enlisted the support of tools because tracking numbers on papers seems too difficult to me. I use a smart phone app called "Lose It." I enter the foods I eat and the calorie count for the serving size. It reveals on the screen the number calories I've eaten and even gives me a red bar if I've had too much.

But it's also just not about the number of calories consumed, but the number of calories burned through exercise. I used to exercise without seeing results, but I think I've figured out that I wasn’t burning enough calories. Thirty minutes of moderate walking only burns approximately 100 calories. Thirty minutes of very brisk walking, only 150.

Therefore, I've had to develop a plan to burn much more calories during my day. I started exercising two hours a day, combining strength and cardio to increase the calorie burn. I strive to burn 700 calories, five days a week. My reason--3500 calories equals one pound. I hope to lose at a minimum of one pound per week. I use an app call Runkeeper to help me track the number of calories burned for various types of exercises.

Did you know how these numbers work? As I stated, I'm just figuring these things out.

Using numbers requires a concerted discipline for me. It's an effort, but worth it. God incorporated the use of numbers in His divine plan. There is a book of the Bible called Numbers. This books starts off with God calling for a census. According to Matthew Henry's Commentary, the purpose for keeping count was to prove God was keeping His promise to multiply the seed of Abraham. God is obviously into numbers and counting for the sake of keeping records, therefore, I better learn to keep records.

The area of keeping track of calories is the first step I'm taking to learn how to manage numbers. The next area I'm working on is finances as I'm currently taking the Financial Peace University course by Dave Ramsey. And yes, it is the week where the husband and wife sit down to work on the budget.

Yes, this free spirited, Sanguine gal is learning to adapt to the tedious task of using numbers for discipline, change and results.