“The person who will live to the age of 125 has already been born.” I was taken aback when I heard this recently. I know life expectancy was expanding in our country until the last few years. That seems like a long life. What would you do if you lived to be 125?
I counter that with the favorite verse of Grandpa Shotwell in Bellmead, Texas. He loved to quote our first verse to his sons and grandsons. He used the King James, “Man, born of woman lives few days and full of trouble.” Sometimes his grandson would just say the first four words, “Man born of woman . . .” and then gesture wildly. I never knew exactly what he meant. He usually said it when something bad happened.
Job knew great pain. One of my members told me, “No one should ever have to lose one of their children.” I agreed. Job had lost ten children in a fell swoop, even though he had prayed for them fervently. In these words, he captures both the quantitative and qualitative challenges of human life.
Time goes quickly and we can never reclaim it. “As if we could waste time without damaging eternity.” The average lifespan today is somewhere in the 25,000+ range. A person who lived to be 125 would live 45,625 days. We may live many more days than our ancestors, but still wish for more time at the end.
What will fill our days? Job’s days were full of trouble. He lost his wealth, his family, and his health. In a way, he just wanted to be left alone. Troubles come uninvited and unwelcomed as part of our life experience. They are hard enough to handle with God by our side. But I can’t imagine life without him? Can you? So often, those who have endured indescribable losses say to me, “I don’t know how people survive without the Lord.” Neither do I. Thankfully we don’t have to face life without him. Draw near to him today and he will draw near to you.
