What is your life? You are a mist...

James 4:13-15

13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."  14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.  WHAT IS YOUR LIFE?  YOU ARE A MIST that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

Not a day goes by that I don't think about my dad.  He was my hero.  My dad worked hard to provide for my mom, my brothers, and me.  My dad always went above and beyond to make us feel special, to make us feel loved.  On Memorial Day, May 29, 1989, my dad worked in the yard all morning long.  At lunch, he decided to grill food for us.  My oldest brother's girlfriend came over.  My girlfriend (now my wife) came over.  We ate some good food and laughed a lot.  Later that afternoon, my dad coached my youngest brother's baseball game.  My brother Chris was pitching for his team in a game that would decide first place in their summer league.  My dad was excited about the game, but he was even more excited about Chris pitching and all of us being there to watch him.  However, after about two innings, my dad wasn't feeling well.  It was just a few moments laters that my dad would take his last breath on this earth, right there on the field where he coached all three of us - John, Chris, and me.  My dad died of a massive heart attack on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29, 1989.

In James 4:14, James asks a question: "WHAT IS YOUR LIFE?"  He gives the answer: "YOU ARE A MIST that appears for a little while and then vanishes."  We have life because God breathed life into our bodies.  However, life on this earth is short.  I was 15 years old when my dad died.  I thank God for the 15 years I had with my dad.  My dad loved me.  My dad taught me.  My dad loved to laugh.  Looking back, I sure do wish I had more time with him on this earth...to love, to learn, and to laugh.  It definitely seems like a "mist" now.  I am a husband and a father today.  I work hard to provide for my family.  I love my kids.  I teach my kids.  I laugh a lot with my kids.  But there are times when I am guilty of believing I have all the time in the world to do this or to do that.  There are times when I am guilty of the attitude found in James 4:13, the attitude of "today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."  I have to realize that my life is a "mist."  I am only here for a little while, and then I will vanish.  I have to embrace the attitude and the truth of James 4:15, which is simple: "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."  I also have to embrace the encouragement of Paul in his letter to the churches at Ephesus and at Colosse.  Paul said on two different occasions, "Make the most of every opportunity."  In the ministry, I need to make the most of every opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus with everyone.  In my family, I need to make the most of every opportunity to share and to show the love of God.  My life is short.  My life is a "mist."  I don't know when I will take my last breath.   I need to "make the most of every opportunity."  I need to be ready.

Yesterday morning, I was typing a message on my computer.  I had typed about a page and a half of notes when the electricity went out.  You know what happened.  I didn't save my work yet.  I had just started.  Everything was fine.  It was bright and clear outside.  I would have time to save my work in a little while.  NOPE.  The electricity went off without warning.  I wasn't ready.  I lost all my work.  Hey, a page and a half is a page and a half!  I sat there stunned, confused, and even a little angry.  I was reminded in that moment that I need to be ready.  Anything can happen.  I was reminded in that moment that I can make all the plans I want in this life, but ultimately, God's got this.  He can do what He wants when He wants how He wants with whom He wants.  He is God, and I am not.  

Thank You, Father, for life.  Thank You for the full and the eternal life we have in Jesus.  Thank You for reminding us in Your Word that life is short; it is a "mist."  Thank You for reminding us to "make the most of every opportunity."  Thank You for the time you do give us in this life...the time to love, the time to learn, and the time to laugh.  Thank You for my dad and the time I had with him on this earth.  Thank You for the hope of Jesus and salvation, for I know that I will see my dad again!  I pray that I will never take for granted the life You give me. I pray that I make the most of every second of every minute of every hour of every day that You give me!  Help me, Father, to live in the attitude and in the truth of this statement: "If it is the Lord's will."  Amen!