The Brevity of Life

Today, I attended the funeral of a 16 year old girl named Crystal. She was killed in an auto accident this past Monday. I had met her only once - she was the sister of a young lady for whom I had conducted the wedding last month. Some of the photos that scrolled by on the screen were taken at that reception. It was a very moving service, and a chilling reminder of the brevity of life.

Biblical authors often spoke of this fact. Job declared that we were like a vapor or a mist. James quoted him and embelished. Moses, in the only psalm credited to him, said that God had numbered our days. The author of Hebrews declared that it is appointed to man once to die. Life really is short. Unfortunately, it’s shorter for some than for others, but thank God we have this life. No matter the number of our days, each one can be precious when we’re redeemed by Jesus.

Every time we say goodbye to a loved one, especially one so young, we should be reminded to make the most of today’s opportunity to live for Christ and to enjoy our loved ones to the full.