| Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 – “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless. What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?” |
Life moves quickly.
One day melts into the next. Years pass in the blink of an eye.
And somehow, the candles on our birthday cakes start to feel a little heavier with each passing year.
We tend to measure life by its length. How many years we’ve lived. How many birthdays we’ve celebrated. And that’s okay… but it’s not enough.
A long life means little if it stands for nothing.
The better question is: What did your life do?
What did it produce? What difference did it make?
Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
That sounds like philosophy, but it’s really a challenge—a call to stop and ask the deeper questions.
Solomon, the ancient king of Israel, did just that.
He wrote the book of Ecclesiastes as a journal of exploration. He had the wealth, the power, and the time to try it all.
He chased fame—but it faded.
He hoarded wealth—but saw how quickly the next generation squandered it.
He built and achieved—but learned that empires turn to dust, businesses get bought, buildings become parking lots.
The more he filled his life, the emptier it became.
That’s a dark place to land—unless you keep reading.
Because Solomon doesn’t just ask the hard questions. He also finds his way toward something more.
A life worth living isn’t measured in years or trophies.
It’s measured in impact—what you gave, not just what you gained.
It’s about service. About kindness. About the quiet ways we lift someone else up.
The poet Edgar Guest captured it beautifully in words that still stir the soul:
Is anybody happier because you passed his way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
This day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?
Did you give a cheerful greeting to the friend who came along?
Or a churlish sort of “Howdy” and then vanish in the throng?
Were you selfish pure and simple as you rushed along the way,
Or is someone mighty grateful for a deed you did today?
Can you say tonight, in parting with the day that’s slipping fast,
That you helped a single brother of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said;
Does a man whose hopes were fading now with courage look ahead?
Did you waste the day, or lose it, was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness or a scar of discontent?
As you close your eyes in slumber do you think that God would say,
You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?
So… what will today say about you?
Will someone be glad you crossed their path?
Will someone breathe easier, walk lighter, or feel stronger because of you?
Live in such a way that you don’t just count your days…
You make them count.
And maybe—just maybe—
you’ll earn one more tomorrow by what you did today.
–Robert G. Taylor
robertgtaylor.com
