Kayla and I had our first child, Seth, in November 2014. Then we had Emmett the next year, and a few years later, we had our daughter Lena. Ever since our kids were little, we heard every cliche in the book from people about how fast the time would go. Comments such as “They grow up so fast”, or “Don’t blink or you’ll miss it!” Or maybe we were at a high school graduation and someone would say, “Pretty soon that will be your kids graduating!”
But the thing is, just because something is a cliche, doesn’t mean it’s not true. Because man, it has gone fast, and they are growing up too quickly! Lena is starting Kindergarten in August, and the days of diapers, baby food, and daycare are long behind us now. In
thinking about how fast time goes, I was reminded of James 4:14, which reads, Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.
It’s a familiar verse that reminds us of the brevity of life, but I also realized that I didn’t really know the context of the verse (and maybe you don’t either!). So here is the whole passage:
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (James 4:13-17)
The passage is directed towards businessmen, and verse 13 seems like sound advice: Planning, taking time, making wise financial decisions. However, the crucial difference between verse 13 and verse 15 is the “If the Lord wills” phrase. It is the difference between whether we are truly living for God or are we living for our own selfish desires. Because if God is not in their decision-making process, then it is all just arrogant boasting.
Is God reflected in all of the decisions that we make, in all of our relationships, and in the ways we interact with others? We are only here on Earth for a limited time. Do we have an eternal mindset? Are we focusing on what matters?
This idea reminded me of the Tim McGraw song, “Live Like You Were Dying”. This 2004 country hit (2004? How is this song 20 years old?) tells the story of a man who is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Then the man’s perspective on life really changes, and he begins to focus on living life to the fullest, and doing fun or important things that he had been putting off.
While the catchy chorus mentions activities like skydiving and bull riding, the song also mentions things like being a better husband and friend, reading the Bible, and offering forgiveness to others. The last line of the chorus is, “Someday I hope you get the chance, to live like you were dying”.
While we sometimes shy away from talking about death, it is important to remember that the days are not promised, and “you do not know what a day may bring” (Proverbs 27:1). Life is short. But eternity is not. We all need to focus on what matters. What has God put on your heart to do? What person is God wanting you to talk to?
The old cliches are real: Life does go by so fast, and my kids are getting too big too quickly, and it does seem like I have just blinked and almost 10 years have gone by. In Matthew 24, Jesus talks about the Son of Man returning, and says in verse 44, Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Are we ready? Does the way we are living our lives right now show that we are ready?
In Christian Love,
Spencer Boren, Elder