There is something about approaching the last third of life that reminds
me of its brevity. Whether it is a third or a fraction of a percent, I know the
rest of life will pass with the swiftness of strobing light.
Is the speed of death determined by how much life we’ve already lived or
how much of life is remaining?
Ask that question to the father who is burying his twenty-something son.
Or to the mother holding her stillborn child. Their answers may be seasoned
with “too soon” and “had so much more living to do.”
Ask that question to the centenarians who have outlived all their friends
and await death with equal parts of dread and hope. Their answer might resemble
“been a good ride” or “almost finished the race.”
Ask that question to God and He doesn’t even distinguish between our definitions
of long or short lives. Both are like
blades of grass withering in the sun on His eternal timeline. Tiny blips on His
big screen.
It was in this vein of thought that David asked God to remind him of
life’s brevity.
LORD, remind me how
brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days
are numbered – how fleeting 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.
[Psalm 39:4-5, NLT]
I like the phrase
used by an older translation that refers to “the measure of my days.” The great
mystery of life is we can’t see that measurement. So we live out our lives with
a huge gap of knowledge of how long the rest of our lives will be. For those of
us who like to plan, this is a major inconvenience.
Some people
suggest we manage this unknown by living our lives as though tomorrow would be
our last day. I disagree with that philosophy. If I did that, I’d never start
anything new and get nothing accomplished!
I prefer to live
life as though I will live forever. Because I believe that I will. Somewhere in
forever, I will shed my skin and bones. The measure of days between now and
that skin sloughing is a number God knows, but hasn’t shared with me. What He does
share is how to measure them as they slip by. To appreciate them. To use them for
His purpose. To not get too attached to any one of them. To understand their insignificance
in the grand scheme. To devote them to rehearsing for an infinity of days
worshipping Him. That is how we can measure our days.
