Life is an incredible adventure that includes highs and lows, the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly. As someone has said, it is not a sprint, but a marathon in which we are required to cope with whatever situation comes our way.
One of my favorite expressions is "Only one life, it will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last."
This life is not forever, it is a fleeting thing. In the Bible James tells us that even the rich are here temporarily, "But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof faileth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways." (James 1:10-11.)
The next verse tells us to hold fast to Christ for the opportunity to live forever. "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." (James 1:12.)
No, this life is only a temporary experience for all of us. Moses, in Psalms 90:10, advises, "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be forescore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."
Last May I reached the age of 72, so I'm well aware that sometime ago I entered the fall of my life. While some people call this lifetime segment the golden years, I have reached a stark conclusion that there are a number of things I once did well and almost without thinking, I cannot do as well--or even at all--today.
Unlike the way it may have been in our youth, we have learned while passing through the marathon of life what chronic aches and pains are, we have experienced our share of personal heartaches, and we have endured and enjoyed a myriad of ups and downs.
While I may no longer be as young or agile as I once was, life still holds plenty of joy for me--and I hope for you as well, if you have reached a similar stage in your life.
We still treasure our family as well as the friendships we have put together over the years. We have had the joy of watching our children grow into adulthood and go out on their own., We have known the joy of seeing grandchildren and even great-grandchildren come into the world.
We still have our faith and the hope of seeing Christ for ourselves as we are invited to enter into eternal life someday. So, while life may end as we know it down here, we look forward with much anticipation to what may be over the horizon for us. We are only pilgrims in this life and are simply rehearsing for what lies ahead in a land where we'll never die. I do want to see Christ Jesus in peace one day, don't you?
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