Life Is Fleeting
BRD REFLECTIONS
Genesis 41:1-40 & Psalm 39 (NIV)
(Felix Yeo, Director of Administry)
READ:
I read both passages in Genesis and Psalm. The verses that stood out to me were verses 4 and 5 of Psalm 39.
“Lord, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight”.
OBSERVE:
The Psalmist knows that life is fleeting, that each life is but a breath in God’s eternity. He asks God to let him know how long he will live and how it will end. In the meantime, whilst he is living, he waits and hopes in God. He is intent on getting his relationship with God right.
Recently people I know have passed away in their sleep. They did not know their time was up. It was especially difficult for their loved ones. Life is indeed fleeting; in a moment breath is taken away.
APPLY:
Reflecting on this verse, I am reminded of my dear and trusted friend, Anna. I have known Anna for more than 40 years. Some 5 years ago, she stopped work to recuperate from illness. I meant to visit her but failed to. Subsequently, she passed away. I cannot find comfort or solace for not making the time and effort to be with her. I should have been there.
I will remember that life is indeed short. So let us treasure our loved ones, our friends and everyone God brings into our lives including those we meet fleetingly. The people serving us over the counter, strangers we share a table with at the food court, the car park attendant who just issued a parking ticket. Let us be kind, gentle, understanding, patient, available to all because we never know when the last breath will be. We can miss that chance to be the person God brings into their lives so easily.
DO:
I shall remember to thank God for every new day. I shall praise Him for everyone in my life. I shall treat everyone with love and kindness. Always remembering I can make a difference in their lives with a smile, a kind word, a helpful action.
Before I go to bed, I shall remember to confess and fill my heart with gratitude. Grateful for the grace I have received for sin, weakness, failure and the hope to do better the next day.
PRAY:
Dear God,
Thank you for life and everything that comes with it. You have given me this life to be lived for you. Forgive me because oftentimes I fail you. Help me Lord not to be ashamed of your gaze but to be able to smile back and say, “Lord, this is your life, live in me.”
In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.
