Life is a Flash.

I’m traveling this week to attend my son’s volleyball tournament. Yesterday, we had a little break so I sat by the pool to relax, think and pray. I’m in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and it’s common to experience afternoon thunderstorms. They roll in, grab everyone’s attention with a spectacular display of light, sound and (often times, sheets of rain) and then they roll out minutes later like a neighbor dropping by to borrow sugar. Even still, when this storm rolled in, most everyone around the pool began to clear out but I stayed and just laid there, staring up and taking it all in. Then, something really cool happened. I was thinking about what to share this week and a few moments in, the rain stopped and the dark clouds began to part as the sun worked its way through a small opening in the sky. I had never seen this before but a cloud formation that looked just like a brightly lit staircase leading upward shown clear as day between the ominous clouds. I couldn’t believe the detail. It was crazy. As I stared, a massive lightning bolt shot directly through the “staircase” and slapped the Atlantic Ocean. Then a moment later, the loud chilling noise of thunder shook me to the core and commanded all attention. Shortly thereafter, the staircase dissipated and the sky cleared up. Then, I felt like God was giving me this illustration as if to say; this is your life. Your life is but a flash in time. You are here and soon you will be gone. 

Allow me to briefly put this in context. I think we (especially us men) spend so much time thinking about things like legacy and longevity that we can sometime miss out on the most critical elements of life. I don’t want to get to the end of my life (and remember, we are not promised even tomorrow) and be filled with regret over things I could have easily dealt with today but neglected to do so because of my pride or my lethargy. As men, we are wired to think about the long game. Will I be able to provide for my family? Will we have enough? What I am doing with my life? Who am I? And so on… The questions (and the pressure) at times seem endless and overwhelming. 

When we bring the reality of the brevity of life into our frame of reference, not as a heavy burden or downer but rather as a motivator, this awareness can actually change the way we live. I’m talking about simple little things, not massive earth-shifting things. Things like calling your mom or dad (if you are blessed enough to still have them around) just to say hello and you love them. Things like sneaking up behind your wife, wrapping your arms around her waist and whispering you love her in her ear. Things like wrestling your kids to the ground and tickling them or throwing a ball around for 15 minutes. Things like calling a friend you haven’t spoken with for a while and planning a time to connect. Things like taking a few moments to thank God for all of the blessings in your life. Is there something that you’ve been meaning to do but haven’t for a variety of (not so legitimate) reasons? Of course there are. I know that as I write this, there are many simple little things coming to mind. We can’t control the number of days we have left but we can control this moment and Lord willing, if He gives us tomorrow, we can control what we do with that too. 

A Simple Prayer.

Father God, I pray for all of us. I pray that we would do whatever we can to celebrate and honor the “flash” of life we’ve each been given. I pray that we would love one another better. I pray that we would be men who could band together, in these darkest of hours, and be a light to the hurting world around us. God, I pray you will give each of us the strength and endurance to be the men we all long to be for our wives, children and families. Forgive us where we have fallen short, equip us to do better and grantL us mercy as we strive to be the men you intend for us to be.

Amen.

Consider this verse:

James 4:13-15 - “Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 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. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Let’s go get it!

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