Fleeting Life

Talk about perspective! The lyrics of Psalm 39 boldly prompt the worshipper to consider the brief nature of his or her time here on earth. Verses four and five read: Show me, O Yahweh, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. While that may be a depressing part of the Bible for our youth-idolizing culture, God isn’t trying to make us feel bad, his goal here and elsewhere is to get us to reprioritize our lives and motivate us to invest wisely with the days we have left.

Consider the book of Ecclesiastes that reminds us that our short lives are often wasted chasing after things that, in the end, amount to nothing. Today, it is variously reported that the average American lifespan is approximately 75 years. That’s only about 27,394 days. It is enlightening to do the math and see how many days you have already spent and how many days you might expect (but not presume) to have left on this journey. If you do the math, don’t get depressed! Get motivated to make each remaining day count.

Let us consciously invest in things that matter for eternity. May this daring perspective drive us to step up and stop waiting to make a difference for Christ!