I once read that almost every culture on earth has a folktale about "three magic wishes." Most feature a genie or some other mythical figure who grants the requests of a patron. Almost all of these tales end in tragedy.

I suppose these stories come from the desire to have everything we want in this life, even though we've learned that we'll always be frustrated in that pursuit. If anything, life teaches us that nothing in this world can satisfy us fully, for even if we gained the whole world we would eventually lose it.

Among the most poignant of these stories is the tale of a stockbroker who encountered a genie on the way to the office. When offered a wish, the man asked for and received a copy of his local newspaper dated one year into the future. He hurriedly turned to the financial page, hoping to "make a killing" in the market. But he found more than he bargained for. On the opposite page he saw his picture in an obituary describing his death in an automobile accident the preceding day.

Life is short and very uncertain. We cannot know what the future will bring. We can only ask God to turn us away from trivial pursuits and direct our hearts to follow Him. So we pray as Moses did, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).  —David Roper  — David H. Roper