Tonight I went to a service in honor of the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims. This service was the first of its kind in my area, and I must say that it was a very nice one. During the service, everyone was allotted the opportunity to light a candle in remembrance of the loved ones whom we lost to violence. We were instructed to blow our candles out after the completion of the prayer. But prior to the prayer, a song with similar verbiage to “if you don’t see the change, keep praying” was sang. I gazed into the flame and thought to myself, “Life is as a vapor”. Each of the murder victims had families and were just living their lives prior to the horrible crimes that ended them. This became a very sobering moment for me. While I have been so caught up in the frustrations regarding the people around me, I have also been missing out on what God was attempting to do within me and through me. To be transparent, there are things that God has been revealing to me, and I have been responding to these revelations incorrectly. As I stared into that flame, God reminded me that the closer I walk with Him, the more He will reveal to me. And I must be able to respond appropriately when He reveals certain things. Getting caught up in the insignificant things of the world only waste time, energy, and efforts. All of which should be dedicated to advancing the Kingdom of God while we are yet living for we do not know when our lives will come to an end. Let’s talk about the vapor!
James chapter four verse 14 reads, “Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (NKJV). Imagine missing out on the things of God and from God due to being caught up in things that are minute. If life is referred to as a vapor, we must acknowledge the significance of each moment within it. It shouldn’t be filled with pleasing our flesh or serving ourselves. Instead it should be led by the Spirit of God as we commit to loving and caring for others. It shouldn’t be consumed with fear, doubt, or reliance on our own strength, abilities, and plans. Instead it should be filled with faith and trust in God; for He is sovereign. We should be living with God’s purpose for our lives in the forefront of our hearts. We should be striving to live righteously and holy with the assurance that when we take our final breath, we will see the King of Kings instead of lifting up our eyes in hell. We should be living in humility. We should be living in gratitude. We should be living in complete reliance on God. Your materialistic items are insignificant. Your social status is insignificant. Your social media fame is insignificant. The grudges that you are holding onto are insignificant. In considering life to be a vapor, we must also consider the lives of the people that we are holding grudges against. They could be gone tomorrow as well so make things right before it’s too late. It doesn’t matter if it wasn’t completely your fault. What matters is that you realize that it’s an issue, and you should do your best to correct it. Life is as a vapor so resist allowing “what ifs” to consume your mind.
Consider King Solomon’s advice mentioned in Ecclesiastes chapter three verses 12 and 13 which reads, “So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God”. In this passage of scriptures, Solomon was teaching regarding there being a certain timing for everything. He reiterated that we do not know everything that God has planned for us. So instead of focusing on the timing of things, we should focus on enjoying the moment. And this is not referencing to partaking in sin as the means to enjoy your life. This is referencing to enjoying the moments that we tend to neglect in this fast-paced, social media fueled world that we live in.
I have a few questions before we wrap this post up. When was the last time you took yourself on a date and just enjoyed the moment without entertaining your phone? When was the last time you sat on your porch and observed nature at work? When was the last time you watched the sun set? When was the last time you had a moment to yourself in complete silence? When was the last time you laughed until you had tears coming from your eyes? When was the last time you cleared your schedule for the day and lounged around your house in your pajamas? These are the type of moments that we deem as insignificant and tend to pass up on. But it is in these moments that we can truly enjoy the fullness of living. I want to encourage you to release your cares of the world at Jesus’ feet, walk in your God-given purpose, and don’t allow distractions to steal your focus. Be humble. Love. Serve. And live! For life is as a vapor!
Read, dissect, and meditate on the above mentioned scriptures.
Real Talk with Keve 