"The grass withers, the flower fades: but the word of our God will stand forever." Isaiah 40:8
We came back from our trip to the United Kingdom and our gardens and lawn looked tough. Not much rain and no one to care for the flowers and I suddenly realized it is near the end of August. Doesn't seem possible. I waited all year for summer to get here and now it's almost gone. I am at that age when I experience the reality of the old cliche "time goes faster as we get older." I read someplace that it’s because each day represents a smaller percentage of the total elapsed time we've been alive. Still, I don't like it. It reminds me too much of big issues like mortality, human limitations, the fact that "our years come to an end like a sigh" (Psalm 90).
It's not just summer that is slipping by so quickly, it's my life. I've always read the verse about the shortness and transience of human life with a limited understanding. They are beautiful poetry and clear reminders that we, should focus on what is lasting and truly important in this life, but somehow they are meaning more to me lately, When I was younger, life seemed endless and its possibilities infinite. Now that has changed, and each day seems more of a precious gift.
But I've also noticed something else. The real point of these verses about the transience of life is not to make us feel bad. On the contrary, in pointing out the truth of our lives they call us to see more clearly the wonder that there is, in fact, something that lasts. When we hear the words "from everlasting to everlasting you are God" we can be struck ever more powerfully with the fact that this is indeed the true foundation for our lives. I love the flowers, I love summer, but the coming fall doesn't frighten me because the word of God will carry me through even the snows of December.
PTL