Time

Time

Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away. My life is no longer than the width of my hand. An entire lifetime is just a moment to you; human existence is but a breath. We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth for someone else to spend. And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.

Psalm 39:4-7

Reminders of our mortality get us thinking about what’s really important in life. Author Anne Lamott had a friend, Pam, who was fighting breast cancer. When Anne started complaining to Pam about the fact that she couldn’t find shorts that fit, Pam gently commented, “Annie, we haven’t got that kind of time.”

Several years ago one of my friends had cancer. Many women I know have fought it and lived, but Marty died about a year-and-a-half after her first diagnosis. The months before and after her death were sobering and significant months of my life. Marty was the mother of three sons who are friends of my sons. I was watching a friend suffer and eventually prepare to meet her Creator and Savior.

When Marty and I visited over coffee in the early stages of her cancer, or when I sat next to her bed in the later stages, she was gracious to ask about everyday happenings in my life, but our conversations frequently turned to topics of depth and meaning. One day she said, “A lot of us went to college, married, found jobs, bought houses, had children, and have since been running our children around to all kinds of activities. These are all good things, but in the end it’s our relationship with God that really matters—that’s what we take with us.” Marty’s thoughtful words were one of the most convincing sermons I’ve ever heard.

God,

It’s sobering for us to realize that our lives on earth are brief. Please help us to spend them wisely, remembering that our hope is in you. Amen.