As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. (Psalm 103:15-16)

In comparison to eternity, our lifespan on this earth is extremely brief. Before we know it, youth has slipped away, old age has set in and we must begin considering our mortality. It seems that in a blink of an eye we go from the joy and vitality of youth to staring at what lies beyond this existence. Not only is life on this planet brief, but according to David, it is incredibly fragile during the years we are given. Our mortal existence is no more secure than a flower that is blown apart by the wind, its petals and pieces scattered across the ground. So David writes that we are like the grass and flower in field — here today, gone tomorrow. Such is the might and majesty of man!

It really is amazing just how fast life goes by; so fast, in fact, that there is scarcely time to rectify wrongs and impress this world with sufficient evidence that we were even here, hence the statement, “its place remembers it no more.” Thinking on that notion, it would be tragic if any of us departed this life to be remembered no more. Mind you, I’m not suggesting that we should aspire to be remembered in the same manner the world seeks after — in other words, monuments to ourselves. No, our goal should be to be remembered as someone who lived their life in service to God’s purpose which has eternal ramifications.

Though they were all just people like you and me, we still remember men like Abraham, Moses, David, Paul and many others, but not because they were special. We speak of them — we remember them —because they did something special. Specifically, they all overcame their own physical desires in deference to God’s plan for their life, and in many ways, you and I get to reap the benefits.

No matter who we are or what has been purposed for us to do in this life, we cannot escape the reality of death. However, for those who serve the Most High God, death will not be the final word that defines us. For that matter, what we accomplish in this life will not define us, at least not exclusively. What the Creator has to say about us matters most because He has the final word. Will He say, “Well done”? Will it be said that we fulfilled His wishes and left nothing tasked to us undone? If so, though in time the world may forget that we were here, there is coming a day when the Almighty will remember us, call us out of our resting place and gather us unto Him. On that day, no monument, no foundation that bears our name could ever hope to match the gratification we will experience in realizing that the Creator of all things knows us by name.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill