God's Attributes Reflected in UsSample

Human life is short and fragile

“What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” (James 4:13-15)

In the Bible, human life is compared to a wildflower. Beautiful to look at, but incredibly fragile and perishable. As soon as the wind starts blowing, its stem snaps. Or a farmer comes to cut the grass, and the flower withers. Her beauty is gone in an instant.

James uses a different image with the same meaning. He calls life a mist that appears for a moment and then vanishes. Human life is short and fleeting. And in that short life, we are constantly changing: we grow up, mature, and age. We become wiser or become embittered. Perhaps we get sick or injured by events in our lives. We are so very different from the Lord God, who is still exactly the same after thousands of years!

The Bible does not stress our vulnerability without reason. All too often we feel invincible and make ambitious plans as if we were immortal. As if we were God. It is necessary to be corrected from time to time and get the right perspective towards the Lord God and towards life on earth.

How do you view life on earth? Do you experience it as short or long? And how do you deal with the fact that your life can be over in an instant?