Mist

There's something really transcient about mist and rainbows. You have to keep your eyes on them for the duration of their presence, that is, if you don't want to miss them. Here one moment and gone the next. Like the mist that forms on your drinking glass when you blow hot air into it.

Now, listen to what the Bible says about our lives.

James 4:14 "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

The average lifespan of Singaporeans is about 65 years, or maybe lower as we can't help seeing younger faces in the obituaries each day. 65 years might seem like eternity when you are a child, especially one who is schooling.

Honestly, once you have worked for about 10 years or so, and maybe settled down with your own little family, you can't help but think about the "half-way" mark in your life (unless you have been so busy that you have no time to reflect). You are now in your 30s. Your glass is now half-empty, or if you like, your mobile phone battery icon shows half a tank left.

Unlike a glass which can be refilled or a battery which can be recharged (at least before it becomes dead), you realise that your case is quite different. Suddenly, every year, every month, every day, every moment counts. Most people may not do it consciously, but you do undergo some kind of re-organization & re-structuring. You do some "right-sizing", like what some bloated companies do; your trim the unnecessary excesses & distractions in your life. You adjust your focus, re-prioritise your commitments, and perhaps even have a mission statement (for once!) in your life. You begin to suspect that relationships and people are what matter most, not the humdrum of the economy, or the price of crude oil or stocks. Afterall, the world we live in, the economic system that is, is a man-made eco-system of sorts. You work, earn some money, indulge a little on the latest MP3 or a nail spa session, pay some bills, then go back to work and make more money. Life on a treadmill - always running but not getting anywhere.

Ecclesiastes 1 says "'Everything is meaningless.' What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?"

Think about the words of Jesus in Matthew 22:37-39

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Jesus' response was to the question "what is the greatest commandment in the Law?" After giving the first, which is obvious, He volunteered the second which talks about loving people. Loving people in meeting their needs, that is, not loving them for their looks, money, fame, or power. Your neighbour is about your family, your parents, your siblings, your relatives, your friends, colleagues, and those whom you come into contact with, acquaintance notwithstanding. Have we given them time, attention, and help in a way that makes their day? Have we said anything meaningful or sincere to our aging parents, or our siblings who have settled down with their own families? Have we stopped to listen to those who are crying for help? Have we reach out with our hands, not just our dollar bills or cheques, to those in need?

We spent the first half loving ourselves, maybe not because we are self-centred, but because of the system in which we are brought up which gave us some pre-defined roadmap from cradle to career. Nonetheless, shall we start loving GOD and our neighbour as we embark on the second half of our life on earth?

Agape,

Thomas

Category: Sounding Board, cf_