By Erlene Smith

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. Psalm 90:9.

Shakespeare must have been familiar with the verse above because he practically paraphrased it in his play Macbeth:

“ Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And  then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury.”

Sometimes we forget how precious our hours and days are here on Earth, and we squander valuable time in frivolous pursuits. William Wordsworth wrote in the poem The World Is Too Much with Us, “The world is too much with us; late and soon. Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.”

To make our lives count for what is truly worthwhile, we need to pray Psalm 90:12 each new day. “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Several ways are open for us to make our lives count: Each new day, we can ask God to open our eyes to see opportunities to help others. This may be as simple as a phone call to a friend, a note to someone, or a visit to a sick person or to a lonely person in a rest home. We can volunteer to help carry out worthwhile community projects that help less fortunate people.

We can pray for sick, our children and grandchildren, our friends, neighbors, and our country and its leaders. Praying is not the least, but the most we can do for others. In Psalm 103:15-16 we read:  “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know (remember) it no more.”  Even though our lives here on Earth are short, if we put God and others first and live lives of service; when we leave this world, it will be a better place and our lives will have counted for what is truly worthwhile.

Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, help us to realize that our time on Earth is limited. Help us to make every day count for You. Scripture: KJV. Happy Valentine’s Day to all dear Readers!!