Life

The Bible describes life this way in Psalm 90: 10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.

The thought of life often keeps my mind occupied. At my age of 59 I reflect often on the joys and blessings of life, our children and grandchildren and the things we were and are still able to do. At the same time I often think of how brief life is. It says it so beautiful in James 4:14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

As I write this we are again confronted with the shortness of life when 26 people were gunned down at school in Connecticut or a friend who himself is dying of ALS just wrote how his mother in law passed away, you can read about it here. This week I also attended the funeral of an acquaintance who passed at the age of 72.

All these things point to life being a vapour,  that is the best way to describe it. Be it joyful or in sorrow, the fact remains that even at age 90, life is short and dying is not the end but only the beginning.

For most of us, after our departure, there will be very little left to show that we have walked the face of the earth. For many of us, nothing will be left to remind anyone of our existence on earth 100 years from now. It doesn’t take long to apply this principle to what we are doing today to appreciate what theologian Albert Barnes wrote many years ago:

“ Wholly disappears. Like the dissipated vapor, it is entirely gone. There is no remnant, no outline, nothing that reminds us that it ever was. So of life. Soon it disappears altogether. The works of art that man has made, the house that he has built, or the book that he has written, remain for a little time, but the life has gone. There is nothing of it remaining  any more than there is of the vapor which in the morning climbed silently up the mountain side. The animating principle has vanished forever. On such a frail and evanescent thing, who can build any substantial hopes?”

The concept of our lives being like a vapor may not be hugely encouraging. However, it seems to me that this 'principle of the mist-like life' can be an incentive to live each day with eternity in mind. Does our schedule have room for the things of eternity, i.e., activities that will impact others’ eternal destiny? Or is our schedule packed full of trivialities, i.e., things that will hardly matter a week from now, and for certain, will not matter in any way 100 years from now.

While it has been said millions of times, it remains true, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Beginning now, each of us can become more intentional about living our lives and impacting other people keeping their eternal destiny in mind. After all, there are only two eternal destinies and those are either Heaven or hell, and each is forever.

As for myself, I take life day by day. The pain I had earlier in the week has subsided quite a bit as long as I don’t over exert myself. The next CT scan is scheduled for January 9. I continue to lose some weight and I hope it’s due to my diet. Life has just become so different, so much more meaningful in many different aspects and God is becoming so much more real as each day goes by.

Although it is hard to do, I do thank God for my trials. Much good has come out of it for me and I pray for others too. It has taught me big lessons that I otherwise would not have learned. James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Please be sure not to forget the real reason why we will soon celebrate Christmas. John 3: 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Thank you for your prayers and the many ways you show your care.
Be blessed and be a blessing.
John

Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings
Yet not welcome any pain?
Shall I thank You for days of sunshine
Yet grumble in days of rain?
Shall I love You in times of plenty
Then leave You in days of drought?
Shall I trust when I reap a harvest
But when winter winds blow, then doubt?

 

Oh let Your will be done in me
In Your love I will abide
Oh I long for nothing else as long
As You are glorified

 

Are You good only when I prosper
And true only when I’m filled?
Are You King only when I’m carefree
And God only when I’m well?
You are good when I’m poor and needy
You are true when I’m parched and dry
You still reign in the deepest valley
You’re still God in the darkest night