Every August, I find myself in conversations reflecting on how short the summer was and how surprised everyone is that school has started again. For the record, summer is definitely not over! I’m not sure summer has any intention of ever being over! But, here we are again. It’s September. Summer has flown by and our kids have been in school for weeks. Where did the time go? Seasons come and go. Years come and go. We find ourselves so busy with life, and when we stop to breathe for a minute, we find it hard to reconcile how much time has passed in what seems like just a moment. But isn’t that the life experience? The old adage, ‘The days are long but the years are short,’ certainly rings true for me. When my oldest reached the age of 16, I told him he had to stop having birthdays. I said the same thing to my daughter when she reached the same age. I then compromised and told them we could still celebrate their birthdays each year, but they had to agree not to get any older. Silly I know, but that’s how I felt (and still do).
The reality is, when life is busy, and we’re moving in so many different directions every single day, the days may feel and seem long, but the weeks, months, and years seemingly pass very quickly. The Bible actually affirms that our lives on this earth are indeed quite short in comparison to eternity. Multiple verses speak to this Biblical truth. 1 Peter 1:24 says: “for all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” Also James 4:14 says: “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” In these verses, our lifetimes are compared to flowers that are here one day and gone the next and even to a mist or vapor that may be visible for mere seconds before fading away into the atmosphere never to be seen again.
This truth raises two significant takeaways for me. First of all, if our lives are indeed this short in comparison to eternity, we need to ensure that our eternal destination is secure. Is yours? The ultimate hero of the Bible, the Lord Jesus, did everything necessary to provide the Way to eternal life in Heaven. If you are unsure about your eternal destination, I encourage you to “consider Jesus” as Hebrews 3:1 says. He is far more than just the Way to eternal life in Heaven. He is a worthy King that is the supreme source of joy and pleasure for all that follow Him! The second takeaway to our lives being but a vapor is that we must make the most of the short time we have. Whatever time we have on this earth, by God’s grace, let’s make it count. Let us fight the natural urge to live only for ourselves. Rather, let us store up treasures in Heaven, living lives centered on our holy and merciful God. May our vaporlike lives be characterized by authentic worship and joyful obedience to Him in preparation for an everlasting eternity with the only One that is both worthy of worship and able to satisfy the longings of our hearts. As much as possible, let us fill our lives on this earth with what we will enjoy forever…God.
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