AP

By James Jeffery

If you were to describe life in one word, what would it be?

Tragic? Meaningless? Joyful? Burdensome? Painful?

In many ways, our life experiences shape how we answer the question. If our life has been filled with suffering, we may be inclined to speak of life as torturous. If we’ve had a happy life, we may speak of life as a blessing.

Either way, our life is over before we know it, regardless of whether it was filled with sorrows or joys. This is something we know to be true from experience, and something God’s Word testifies to.

Life is a Vapour

In Ecclesiastes 1, the sage describes life as a ‘vapour’ (the KJV rendering is ‘vanity’). It is the same word we use to describe the cloud of air that we make when we breathe out in winter. In other words, life is transient.

Like water vapour, we are here, and then we are not. We are young, and then we are old. We are alive, and then we are dead. Our lives flash before our eyes before we know it.

When you’re young, it’s easy to think that you are invincible and will live in this body forever. You have a whole life ahead of you, including dreams and aspirations. Death is not something young people think about a whole lot.

When you’re old, it’s clear that you aren’t invincible. Even more importantly, you realise that death is a reality that everyone must face. Knowing that our life is but a vapour changes the way we live life.

Led to Despair or Hope?

On one hand, knowing that life is like a mist can lead us to a sense of hopelessness. There is a right sense of melancholy we should experience when we realise that life on earth is short. If we had the ability to, many of us would go back into the past and change the way we lived at certain points. It’s easy to glamorise the past, fear the future, and despair in the present. Yet, none of these are God’s desire for our life (cf. Ecclesiastes 7:10).

On the other hand, knowing that our time on earth is a vapour puts things in perspective. It ought to cause us to stop and assess what we are living for, and whether it is of eternal value. We cannot take riches, worldly wisdom, or earthly power with us when we die. Therefore, why live for these things while we are alive? In this sense, the day we realise that we will one day die is the greatest day of our life. For it is only when we dwell on this reality that we begin to ask the question: “Why am I here?”

The Bottom Line

It is a blessing to realise that life in this world is transient. Not so that we can squeeze the most out of life for our own benefit. Rather, because it should lead us to live for the Creator during the short time we have here on earth. Only when we realise our finitude will we live for those things that really matter.

In the words of a contemporary hymn:

“To you who boast tomorrow’s gain,

Tell me, what is your life?

A mist, it vanishes at dawn,

All glory be to Christ.”

‘All Glory Be to Christ’ – King’s Kaleidoscope

Closing Prayer

Gracious heavenly Father,

Thank you for giving meaning to this transient life. We praise You for redeeming us and giving us eternal hope through Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, give us the power to live in the light of eternity this day, reminding us of the unchanging grace of our precious Saviour, Jesus Christ.

In His name we pray,

Amen.