We’re always making plans for tomorrow—whom we’ll see, what we’ll do, and where we’ll go. Whether it’s fun activities like attending a party or playing a game of basketball, or mundane tasks like cleaning the garage, we assume that our plans will happen and we’ll have the time to accomplish what we set out to do. But is this assumption secure?
One in A Million?
Historically, how many people have never died? Not too many? Were any of these people less than (gasp) 40 years old when they died? Of course, we all recognize that death comes to all men, and to many, the end is not at 75, but much much sooner. While we lament this verity, many of us (and myself definitely included) seem to ignore the obvious fact that these statistics are applicable to us.
James 4:
13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are [just] a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15Instead, [you ought] to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”
A Sobering Reminder
Most all of us can think of people in our life, people we may have been very close to, who have passed away suddenly and unexpectedly. It is a shocking and surreal experience to lose someone whom you thought you’d have many more years with. When people we love go through this valley, it is our charge to comfort and pray for them, and hold them tightly as they walk through the pain.
But it is also our responsibility to take these moments as reminders that life is fleeting. And not just life in general, but your life, my life! I may not have tomorrow, and therefore must use today to do that which truly matters. Only God’s Kingdom is eternal—am I seeking it first, or letting it get crowded out by many other fleeting things?
How We Spend Our Time
Am I using my gifts and talents to pursue that with is God-glorifying and beneficial to my family and those whom I love? Or am I settling for mediocrity, more of the same, and the lack of excellence that is common among the time-wasters and complainers?
I hope you’ll join me on the journey toward personal growth and the pursuit of your grand calling. God has seen fit to give me breath for today, and He has a purpose in mind for this life of mine. May God bless us both as we grow in grace and knowledge of Him.