Day 8 — Count Your Days

“So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.”

— Psalm 90:12 (BSB)

How many days do you think you’ve been alive? If you’re ten years old, that’s about 3,650 days. If you’re twelve, it’s around 4,380.

That’s a lot of days! But every one of them is a gift from God, and each one only comes once.

Moses wrote Psalm 90. He had lived a long life, and he had seen how short life really is. So he prayed: “Teach us to number our days.”

To number your days means to realize that your time is limited and valuable, and to use it wisely. Moses asked God to help him understand that, so that he would have “a heart of wisdom.”

Screens can make time disappear. You pick up a game “for five minutes,” and an hour later you’re still playing. You watch one video, then another, then another. Days can slip by without you really doing anything that matters.

Now, rest and fun aren’t wasted time. God made you to enjoy life! But if most of your free time disappears into a screen, you might be missing out on a lot of other good things: friendships, sports, reading, building things, learning new skills, spending time with your family, and spending time with God.

Here’s a challenge. Imagine you’re an old man looking back on your life. What do you think you’ll be glad you spent time on? Probably not the number of hours you spent gaming. More likely the friends you made, the adventures you had, the things you learned, the people you helped and your relationship with God.

Numbering your days doesn’t mean you can never play video games. It means you choose on purpose how to spend your time, instead of letting it slip away.

Think about it: If you added up the hours you spend on screens each week, what do you think the number would be? What else could you do with some of that time?

Try this: Keep track of how much time you spend on screens today. Then ask God to help you use your time wisely.

Dear God, teach me to number my days. Help me understand how valuable my time is, and help me use it wisely. Show me what’s really worth spending my days on. In Jesus’ name, Amen.