Reflecting on our fleeting life
I’m taking a funeral on Friday for a man who was roughly a month younger than me. It’s certainly caused me to pause.
The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes sees the churn of the world around him and pens these eternal words: “What do people gain from all their labours at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.” (Ecclesiastes 1:3-6 NIV11)
What is our life worth? What will we leave behind? How should we live in light of this great truth? Here are a few reflections;
Don’t waste your life.
Every day you are granted is a precious gift from your Creator. Treat it as such - with thanksgiving and a commitment to actively savour it. Christian, make use of the breath and strength you have to ends that are a blessing to others and bring glory to the One who made you.
Don’t overfill your life.
Busyness is a literal killer. Sometimes in search of productivity - or through neglect (or necessity) we find ourselves almost as passengers on the merry-go-round of appointments, practices, work, and weeks. Making ‘Sabbath space’ for exhaling and examination is invaluable. Don’t let apathy or weariness steal the irreplaceable gifts of community and worship from you.
Don’t hate your life.
In Ecclesiastes the refrain rings out that, “life is meaningless." I've found if we are caught in the churn, and out of sight of God, then this can easily become our conclusion. But in a sunny spot with the breeze blowing, amidst the laughter of friends and food, we can be reminded there’s so much more we were made for. To hate our lives is to disbelieve that in God every failure can be redeemed and every heartbreak healed. Sin soils so much but, in Jesus, we believe in second chances and ultimately in lives made new. Life is precious no matter the pain of the moment.
Don’t fall in love with your life.
The other pendulum swing is to believe that this world is all there is and to let our things, relationships, and activities fill the entirety of our view. In this place ‘now’ seems so good that we barely need a tomorrow. Yet the sobering truth is one day every life will see hardship, and every life will eventually cease. No matter how much we cram the candy of fleeting experience - if we aren’t conscious of our mortality then death will shock and surprise us and make a mockery of all that we've invested so much in.
Do speak of the unending life that is still to come.
Christians have a unique answer to the dilemma of our mortality. The Psalmist writes, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Relent, LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90:12-14)
When we number our days we recall that we were made to live with our God into all eternity and to count them is to acknowledge that they will end. Beyond them and behind them lives the unfailing love of the God who guarantees that there will be days yet to come for those who repent and trust in Jesus.
Shouldn’t we tell those we love this life-changing truth?
For all who trust in the Lord this life has joy, meaning, purpose, limits, and also a hope that is bigger than the grave. For such people there is even peace for today for as the sun sinks yet again we can pray like this;
“Be present, merciful God, and protect us through the silent hours of this night, that we, who are wearied by the changes and chances of this fleeting world, may rest upon your eternal changelessness. Amen.”
Grace and peace,
Stuart.