Day 140, or May 20. Remember, you're a long time dead.
Our thoughts today are from Job chapter 14, verses 1 and 2.
Mortals born of woman are of few days, and full of trouble. They spring up like flowers
and wither away, like fleeting shadows they do not endure.
Now the big picture surrounding these two verses. Job reaches the stage of feeling that
only speaking directly to God will resolve his issues. His human advisers are not helping
him, and he suspects that they are no more able than he is. Job reminds himself and all
who read his words that human life is brief compared to eternity. He likens men and women
to flowers that only last a day or two, before they wither and decay. He speaks to God directly
and considers the possibility of life after death. This has been a big issue throughout
history and continues to be a topic that many people will not consider in the twenty-first
century. Most of his contemporaries were aware of death as a real part of life, compared
to today, when death is swept under the carpet in the hope that it might just go away.
And now our action step for today. Don't discuss politics or religion. It is a maxim
many live by today. You can add to the forbidden list death as a subject to be avoided at all
cost. It is usually only at funeral services that death is talked about. I suppose this
could explain why more and more people are having secular funerals, which discourage
thinking too deeply about what is going on. Jesus picks up Job's thought in the Sermon
on the Mount, when he challenges us to consider the lilies of the field that are beautifully
cared for by God, even though they only last a day or two. How much more important we are
to God. Jesus urges us to get our priorities right and seek the kingdom of God first. This
ensures everything else is in the right place. A timely reminder to all of us to keep focused
on what is essential. Many of today's things are important, but all eternal issues are
vitally life changing forever.