Daniel 9:3-10
Psalm 63:1-8, 98, 103
Hebrews 2:10-18
John 12:44-50
It’s been just a few days now since the Ash Wednesday service, a service I’ve always felt inspires us to consider as humans our very short lived existence here on Earth. In looking over today’s readings, one of them explores that very idea. Since our children were very young, we have had a Children’s Devotional Bible in our home that I sometimes read as an alternative to mine. I often enjoy the simplicity of its message as compared to other bibles. Today is no exception, as I open to Psalm 103, verses 15 and 16:
“People’s lives are like grass. People grow like the flowers in the field. When the wind blows on them, they are gone. No one can tell that they had ever been there.”
Think about that for a moment…much of what we put our time and energy toward will just disappear with us, leaving barely any evidence that we were even here. The things we’ve acquired, our worries, our dreams, just gone like the fuzzy seeds of a dandelion carried away with the breeze. If I were to remind myself of this each day, I think I might live life a little differently. My desire to serve might be less apt to be pushed aside and replaced by less meaningful obligations. My focus on the relationships I’m fortunate to have in my life might be even stronger. I might be more skilled in sorting out what is important and what is not.
Though we may not last forever, Psalm 103, verse 17 goes on to tell us what does:
“But the Lord’s love for those who have respect for him
lasts forever and ever.”
It’s LOVE that lives on…God’s love for us and our love for Him, when our actions here on Earth glorify his name. So it is when we choose to be a reflection of God’s love in all that we do, that our time here on Earth becomes significant. Then, like dandelion seeds drifting and settling softly nearby to bloom next season, perhaps we will not be forgotten as well.
Beth McGee