Vapor

“Eric, Jeff died.”  

“What?”

“He fell, thought he was OK, then died in his sleep.  The funeral is this afternoon.”

“Wow. Life is a vapor.”

That truth from the book of James has been dominant in my mind ever since.

Life is a vapor.

Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue  there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.  For what is your life?  It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away.

What is life?  Life is a vapor.   Life is a morning mist that dissolves with the first rays of sunlight.  Life is a disappearing steam above a swirling cup of tea.  Life is a for a little time and vanishes.

Do we really think this way? 

For the first time in my life, I went to the funeral of someone who was younger than I.  The young man’s parents were there.  The pastor noted, “This is not how it is supposed to be.”  And, minus that fact that the situation was very real and in the hands of God, he was right.  But the fact that I consider him right is evidence that I do not really think life is a vapor, as God clearly tells us.

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that.  But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

“So, did you still hang out with Jeff?”

“Well, no, we sort of disconnected.  We talked on Facebook a few times, but…”

Silence.

“Kind of makes you think.”  

As this statement was made, a young man looked me in the eyes in a way that made it clear that we were both struggling with the reality of the vapor like quality of life.

Do we truly realize that this day, this moment, this night, might be the day, the moment, the night when our mist dissolves?

Do we realize that our future intentions to do what is right is unpleasing to God?  

Do we consider that when we fail to do the good we know to do now, that it is sin?

Sobering.  Kind of making me think.

Life is a vapor.