If life is ephemeral, why so care about it? The question often lingers in my mind. It is true and I believe that life is a transition – a phase for a short time. Yet we all are busy trying to accumulate material gains and status. It means we’re ambitious, hardworking, and value our lives, which is a good thing.
Life being ephemeral means our joy, happiness, and the breeze of romance that filled the air during our courtship were all subjected to renewal. Let me tell you something which is renewed every morning. The compassion of the Lord renewed every morning. Lam. 3:22-25
Today marked the anniversary of my resignation from the banking job which I thought that I would work there till my retirement. It was a big transition phase for me. In a situation like mine securing a job in the public sector was considered a foundation for living as there hardly is a job to sustain a family.
It was then that I realized my job was also temporary. It was due to many factors, which I now kept aside. However, I spilled out some of the background in my book “From the Sideline.” The book was about a dad who lived his life from the sideline of a husband earning the bread.
A fleeting life:
Everyone must have made plans for their future. However, it was just a fleeting life. We have very little or no control over our lives and what is happening around us.
The Scripture often likened it to a dew or a flower petal that appeared in the morning but vanished or fell to the ground. James4:14, Job 14:2
However, we try to accumulate as much as possible in our lives as our wants are never satisfied. The rich want more, the lover is satisfied for a short time, and the beautiful require upkeeping of their appearance. The teacher in Ecclesiastes even considered our life as a smoke – just a puff of smoke or vapor.
A fragile life:
Life is not perfect. The cadence of our existence, emotions, and physical presence bends and stretches endlessly. The fragility of life was best known to those persons who have gone through a huge knock in their journey. That year, I wanted to switch over my profession, taking rest for a while as my children needed me, was the plan.
However, my underlying physical weakness leads me to the Surgery table to be never like before. That’s how fragile life has been. It’s the small things that we haven’t considered while making the plan that changes the course of our lives.
The recurring visit to the ER in the hospital was uncalled for. I wanted to fly again, but it seems it’s a distant dream. I wanted to clear all my financial debts to lead a less anxious life. It’s just a wish. I know that even if all these were solved there might occur another setback in life. I know it may sound pessimistic to you.
Who values ephemeral life the most?
The Psalmist was in awe of how much the Lord valued us as compared to all his other creations. “Why are people so important to you? Why do you even think about them? Why do you care so much about humans? Why do you even notice them?”
David continued, “You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” Psalms 8
It also says, “You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.”
The privileges bestowed upon man by the creator show his mercy, kindness, and love.
In the hands, of humbling ourselves before him, we are his valued creations. The ones whom he loves to spend time with if we’re closer to him by shedding our sins in his grace.
Struggling with ephemeral life:
Did you struggle with life and the things of the world being short-lived? I did! I want the relationship that has once been perfect not to be short-lived. It’s not my best niche, but I wanted the breeze of love in the air at all times.
Grieving, death was hard to deal with. Those who were gone never came back just to say a sentence in times of need. On the other hand, sickness seems to last forever. However, all will come around when we stand in the presence of the Lord.
All the good days, as we often called them, were gone too fast. Our hair grew grey, and very few times left to inculcate our ethos and values in our children. The moment of enjoying our lives has gone too fast. it’s hard to fly out once down for a while. Savings and earnings need to be balanced.
The upside of ephemeral life:
“In the brevity of life, everyone has a story…, I wrote in one of my books “The Blue Cardigan,” in the epilogue section. Our stories were not filled with rosy leaves; we wanted to shed some of them.
Being the transition phase of life whereby we can redeem ourselves by believing and proclaiming Jesus Christ as the Savior, we become the children of God and also become the citizens of his Kingdom. Phil. 3:20-21 When we crossover to the yonder land the feeling of guilt would just become momentary. In this short lifetime, let us stand firm on our faith.
All the struggles, hardships, and perseverance we endured because of our faith would be put to rest. We must diligently wait for that time to come. Then, we’ll know that ephemeral life is really a preparation for eternity.
