Living or Pancakes?

I think back on how the week began with my birthday (Monday), we wake up, my son eats his breakfast, its the first workday of the new year, planning, staging, forecasting and hopes fill the conversations with work wondering what 2010 will bring.

Around 11:32 am on Monday January 4, 2010, my wife has the conversation with her father that would re-shape our outlook on 2010. Her mother had be diagnosed with a terminal illness.  The tears fell, prayers were lifted, and the people most dear to us were there to lean on. As the week progressed, and we discovered more with second opinions, test, and prognoses, we felt the weight of eternity and the brevity of life pressing in from all around.

Throughout the week, the 2010 ambitious plans and aspirations fell by the wayside knowing that life is too short for forecasting years from now, when we are not promised tomorrow.  These words from the Preacher rang so true to me this week as I pridefully predicted my days on earth.

Ecclesiastes 1.1-2

The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.  Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

The vanity he speaks of is the word ‘vapor’. Vapor of vapors, all is vapor.  Life, the world, the universe are all passing vapors and nothing can be done to slow down the brief flicker of life we have.  The natural thing is to despair and lose hope thinking that all is lost, if all is vapor, but think of how this same book of Ecclesiastes ends:

Ecclesiastes 12.13

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

The whole duty of life is to fear God and keep his commandments, so that everything does not have to be vapor.  The life we lead can be one of eternal significance as we work for our eternal king, whose kingdom is eternal, and will stretch to eternity.  All power, all praise, all glory, all dominion is to him.  These are not vaporous, these are not fleeting.  When faced with eternity and the vapor of life this week, I was struck to realize that it is TO HIM and FOR HIM I live and move and breath, and any other thing for which I am living is a vapor.

To the king alone who was pierced for me, be all my life’s praise, worship, adoration, and service, for he will be my inheritance.