Brevity of Life
Week 34, Friday
Melanie Redd
Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is. You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath. We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. And, so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.
Psalm 39:4-7 (nlt)
Do you ever throw yourself a “pity party”? You know, one of those times when you look at your life and think about how hard it is, how tough you have it? I was throwing myself a great pity party (complete with ice cream and balloons) recently. In the middle of feeling very sorry for myself, I got a startling e-mail.
The e-mail detailed a tragic situation in the life of a sweet friend. While camping with friends, my friend had tragically died at the age of forty-two. He was cooking out with his family one minute and seriously ill the next. He died on the way to the hospital, leaving behind a beautiful wife and three precious children.
Just like that—in the blink of an eye—my friend was gone. My whole perspective changed in a matter of moments as I contemplated how brief and how fragile our lives really are.
As Psalm 39 reminds us, “My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath. We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.”
Life is short! None of us knows how much time we have on this planet! We need to make the most of this day. We need to quit throwing so many pity parties and start living the life we’ve been given to live. It’s time to put our total hope in God as we enjoy the time we’ve been given on this globe.
Lord, I know that my life is just a breath, just a few moments. Help me to enjoy more and complain less. Give me the grace to laugh more, hug more, give more, and share more. Free me to live for today with my focus and my hope completely on You! In Jesus’ name, amen.