Why does life seem so short?

Psalms 90:9-10 “For all our days are passed under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away” (ESV).

 As each day passes it seems as if more and more of the great truths of God’s word are being trampled upon. The troubled heart is a reality from which none of us can escape. I love the words of David found in Psalms 55:6, “And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! Then would I fly away, and be at rest”. Sometimes I find myself wishing that I could flee to a place where sorrows, heartache, sickness, afflictions and troublesome times would not be known. That place does not exist on this earth but there is a place where those things are not known and if I am a faithful child of God, one day I will fly away and live forever in it (John 14:1-3, Rev. 21:1-7, 2 Cor. 5:1-9).

Our days on this earth are very limited (Heb. 9:27). Life is a very brittle thread that can be and often is snapped quickly. We are but one short step from shedding these earthly bonds (1 Sam. 20:3). We are prone to measure life in terms of years when in reality we should measure life in terms of one heart beat a time, minutes, yea even seconds. Now, we know that when we do shed these earthly bonds, it will not mark the end of our existence (Eccl. 12:5-7, 2 Cor. 5:1). When that day comes, we will go out into eternity and, there face our God in judgment (Acts 17:30-31, Rom. 14:12). When standing at the judgment bar of God, we will face either a kind, loving God who will speak words of gladness to us, “Come, ye blessed of my Father” or we will face a God of wrath who will speak some of the most terrible words ever heard, “Depart from me” (Matt. 25:34, 41). It all depends on what we do with our lives before we fly away.

I venture to say that in all of our homes there is at least one book called the Bible. In that book, and that book only, do we find the words of eternal  life (John 6:66). The design and purpose of the Bible is to reveal God’s love, care and concern for us. From its beginning to its end, it points us in the way that leads to everlasting life. We hold in our hands the key to the greatest happiness what we can ever experience, the eternal safety of our soul. What will you do with the book of books? As for me, I will hear it (Rom. 10:17), believe it (Mark 16:16), and having repented (Acts 17:30), confessed (Rom. 10:10, 1 John 4:14-16), and been baptized into Christ (Mk. 16:16, Gal. 3:27), I intend to be faithful to my commitment (Rev. 2:10, 14:13) and pray that I will ever teach the truth consistent with God’s word, speaking the truth always in love, thereby setting an example for all who see and know me (2 Tim. 4:2, Eph. 4:15, 1 Tim. 4:12). How about you, what will you do with the words of eternal life?

Charles Hicks