Understanding the brevity of life

Do we really understand the brevity of life? How very short the years of our lives can be? When we were young, we didn’t pay attention to how quickly time passes because we always thought we had plenty of years left ahead of us. The Bible says our life is like a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. Moses prayed a prayer teaching us to number our days so we can gain a heart of wisdom. What does this mean? This teaches us that we need God to reveal to us the brevity of life. This is because whatever choices we make in this life will have eternal consequences. Our brief stay on this earth will be followed by eternity. Our earthly life is a preparation for the next. In Psalms chapter 90 where Moses wrote this prayer, we read about him talking about God’s wrath against sins and the true meaning of life. He speaks of the power of God’s anger and wishes for humanity to know that we will answer to God for deeds done in the body. Jesus also told us a story about a rich man who did not understand the brevity of life and did not learn to “number his days”. This rich man wanted only to eat, drink, and be merry and stored for himself all his wealth but that very night God required his soul from him. If he learned to number his days, he would have spent it wisely, thinking about eternity and pursuing things with eternal significance. How about you? Have you learned to “number” your days?