The Brevity of Life

27th Oct 2020

I don’t know who coined the phrase “The length of our lives is represented by a dash between two dates,” but it is certainly a succinct way of stating what most people sense, especially as they get older, that life passes by quickly. This week my parents celebrate their 59th wedding anniversary and next week Denise and I will be celebrating our 30th. Recently we have been with people who are celebrating significant birthdays or anniversaries and almost inevitably someone will say, “How did I get to be this old so fast?” or “Where did the time go?” Those of us who have, statistically speaking, more time in this life behind us than ahead of us often have a different perspective than those who are younger. When we are young we are often in the big hurry to grow up. We cannot wait for the next big milestone because we think that it will bring additional freedom and excitement to our lives. The Psalmist put it this way, *“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.”* Psalm 90:12 (NLT) The time that we have in this life is finite and therefore it is wise for us to choose carefully how we will spend our time in this life. There are two things that have gained popularity in the last few years; the first is YOLO which stands for “You Only Live Once" and the second is “Bucket List." A bucket list is the things that you want to do or see before you die while those who subscribe to the YOLO philosophy of life tend to live on the edge, seeking thrills wherever they may be found. It is understandable for people who have no hope beyond this life to go along with one of these philosophies, but for those of us who believe that there is life beyond the grave, we must heed the words of the Psalmist and seek to grow in wisdom with regard to how we use our days. Do not have a limited or stereotypical view of heaven in the afterlife. Peter tells us that there will be a new heaven and a new earth and no matter how grand and impressive the sights and experiences available to us on this earth and in this lifetime seem to be, they will pale in comparison with what God is preparing in the new heavens and the new earth. We as believers, even while living life to the fullest in this present time, must not be shortsighted or live in fear that we will miss something if we don’t squeeze it in before we die. We cannot imagine what God has prepared for us in the life to come, so our first priority should always be to be a bright and shining light that attracts others to Jesus. It would be wise for us to remember WWLF (We Will Live Forever). *“The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.* 1 John 2:17 (MESSAGE)

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