Vanishing Vapor of Life
“…For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away…” James 4:14
Life is fragile and life is short. Life can be taken away or changed in an instant. In war, tornados, tsunamis, wildfires, accidents…life can vanish quickly, like a vapor.
Actually life is much more than a vapor. We are all God-breathed spiritual creatures that were planned from the beginning of time. But in today’s thought I have given you the words of the Apostle James who was admonishing the worldly merchants and profiteers of his day and was warning them that their ambitions, earthly goods and even their next breath would soon vanish, like a vapor.
Knowing that life is short, fragile and precious should cause change in the heart of every person. Our priorities must revolve around the central reality that whatever event, pleasure, deal or ambition we deem important this day can vanish in an instant.
We should strive in our living to make sure we sow and plant the important things that endure beyond death – like love, family, friendships, faith and works that are eternal.
I write this thought for the day as I contemplate the hundreds of deaths this past week in my own State of Alabama of good people, who in a matter of seconds, had their lives, homes and future ripped away by wind. The huge swaths of land, life and property of my neighbors were swept away this week make us all ponder the essence and importance of life more closely.
But wind or death should never sweep away the hope of those left behind. It cannot erase the good works of those lost. It cannot take away the love and relationship these lost or hurt souls have with their Creator.
As we contemplate storms and the fragility of life, we must learn to respect how quickly all we cherish can be taken away. This contemplation should give way to our commitment to make sure that every day and every human act will have meaning.
Let’s quit wasting time and let go of regrets, pettiness, hate, commercialism and rivalry. Let us embrace a new set of values that makes every breath and act left in our life significant and worthy. Especially, let us be resolved to squeeze the hand of our Lord more tightly, and through humility and confession, give the vapors of our lives to the God that made us and loves us more than we love ourselves.
The vapor of this life is actually a spirit that longs to live with the Heavenly Father and the vapors of the saints in a new home free from deadly wind and death.