Vapor Trails

“What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” –James 4:14

When I was a kid, I used to love to sit outside and look into the sky and watch the jets fly overhead. I got to be pretty good at identifying the different types of planes. I especially enjoyed when an occasional B-52 would fly over with its 8 jet engines. But what always fascinated me was that as each jet flew over, it would leave behind a white vapor trail. The vapor trail would be solid and unbroken at the back of the jet, but as the jet moved along, the vapor trail would start to dissipate. Within just a few minutes, it would completely disappear.

If James were writing this Scripture today, he might say, “You are a vapor trail that appears for a little while and then disappears.” Interpretation: Your life is short and quickly forgotten. If we could only truly understand just how short this life really is, we would be much better off.

But what are the benefits of truly understanding how short our lives really are? There are several. Here are a few: 1) We are more humble 2) We learn to rely on God more 3) We don’t waste as much time on meaningless things 4) We value our relationships more. These are just a few, but they all are significant in shaping our lives.

Have you embraced the brevity of your own life? We won’t be here for long, but when we submit to God, we can make a huge difference while we are here.