I am going to turn 60 years old in a few months. As time goes by, I become more and more aware that I am closer to the grave than to the cradle. This realization has made me think more and more about the value of time and life. Every morning, I wake up, the first thing I do is to thank God for another day on this earth. Every night I go to sleep, I ask God the privilege of letting me wake up to see another day. As I have written before, I have changed the way I do things. I don’t take the risks I used to take; I don’t take chances as I used to.
Pastor Ken used several times the expression “Life is like a vapor.” He heard that from his friend Steve in Pennsylvania who is dying of cancer. The idea of “brevity” takes a whole new meaning when you know when it is going to end. I’m trying to imagine what went on in the minds those on United 93 on 9/11 who called their families as they knew they were going to crash. They had moments to decide what they were going to do in the last moments of their lives. We don’t know what we got until we know it’s going to end.
James 4:14 says: “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” As I look at other versions of the Bible, the word the NLT describes as “fog” is translated as “mist” (NIV) or “vapor” (KJV). Whichever the best word is, it certainly communicates the concept of a very, very brief and short period of time.
Times flies. I am amazed how my concept of time has changed. When I was a child, waiting for my birthday took (as my 5-year-old daughter now says) forever. I have mentioned before of my days staring at the white ceiling of my little apartment. Now, it seems time is like sand, which, despite my best efforts, it is slipping away from my fingers. And I am not alone. I imagine many of you reading this who are of a certain age, are in the same position. Thus, we need to change the way we think and the way we live.
It seems reasonable for us then to consider the words of the psalmist when he wrote “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12) I am amazed at the fact that some people live as if there is no tomorrow. Why waste time in useless quarrels, in useless endeavors, in useless relationships that that do not bring anything to our lives and those who are around us? The Bible exhorts that to do the opposite because, as Pastor Ken said last Sunday, how we live matters. How we live matters to our families. How we live matters to our friends. How we live matters to God.
I am reminded of a famous saying by William Wallace (aka Braveheart), the man who fought for the freedom of Scotland: “Everybody dies. Not everybody lives.” Let us live wise lives. Let’s make the best out of them because they are brief, like a morning mist. Let’s open our hearts to our maker so we can understand and realize how we should live this precious gift called life.
Add Your Comment