Dust in the Wind

“Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.” (Psalm 39:5)

                Growing up I was introduced to a band named Kansas.  Seems I had an affinity for bands named after places – Boston, Chicago, etc.  In any event, Kansas released a song called “Dust in the Wind.”  The song was about the frailty of life and the brevity of the human experience.  One of the song’s lines says, “Don’t hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.  It slips away and all your money won't another minute buy.”  70 or 80 years is just a blip on the radar of human history and eternity.

                The psalmist David used the analogy of a vapor – “man at his best state is but vapor.”  A vapor is defined as “a substance diffused or suspended in the air, especially one normally liquid or solid.”  In essence, a vapor is a fleeting state of matter between two different states.  It’s here today and gone tomorrow.  If you talk to many senior adults, they’ll tell you that life has flown by.  No matter what we do to slow the aging process, inevitably we all have an appointment with death.

                That being the case, we should all be motivated to use the time we have remaining for the glory of God.  Most of us probably expect to live about 80 years, but the fact is that we’re not promised tomorrow.  Any of us could be taken instantly with a massive heart attack, a car accident, etc.  We don’t have time to waste!  A good pastor friend used to tell me, “Only one life and it soon shall pass, only that which is done for Jesus is that which is going to last.”  Make the most of your time today and every day!