Just A Vapor

When I was a student at the University of Alabama, I attended the Central Church of Christ in Tuscaloosa. I greatly enjoyed participating in the leadership of their campus ministry and worked closely with the ministers. The pulpit minister had a special place in his heart for the Tide for Christ Student Ministry and therefore made great efforts to interact with its members. However, that interaction often produced more than the college students expected. I clearly remember going into his office one day to ask a question about an upcoming devotional. Forty-five minutes later I left having listened to a survey of the book of Romans and having forgotten my original question. While I learned a great deal, I did not expect to spend my time that afternoon in such a way.

The truth is that I am very thankful for the times when I was able to walk away with more than I had planned. Life constantly presents opportunities to learn and teach, but we often miss them completely because we are so hurried. With an irony reserved for humans, our need to accomplish as much in one day as possible keeps us from experiencing the truly meaningful events that give our lives purpose. As a result of busy schedules we do not dwell when we should and we do not comprehend the reason why pausing is necessary. Our goal is to move on to the next thing on the list as quickly as possible. Of course, we do stop and appreciate the big events, such as funerals and weddings, but when the appropriate amount of time has passed we change demeanors to whatever the next situation requires. We are very human in that way, but if we can become more aware of our circumstance as mortals we might try to fill our hours with quality over quantity.

Mitch Album learned about our circumstance as mortals from his old college professor, Morrie Swartz. After graduation, Mitch lost touch with his favorite professor as his career led him to become a well-known sports writer. One night, he saw Morrie on television with Ted Koppel and learned from Nightline that his “coach” was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and would die within a few months. He immediately made plans to meet with him on a Tuesday afternoon and continued meeting with him each week for thirteen weeks. Morrie was aware of his condition and wanted to teach others what he learned during his slow march to the grave. On their seventh Tuesday, Morrie explained aging by saying, “It’s very simple. As you grow, you learn more. If you stayed at twenty-two, you’d always be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It’s growth. It’s more than the negative that you’re going to die, it’s also the positive that you understand you’re doing to die, and that you live a better life because of it” (Tuesdays with Morrie, pg. 118). For Morrie death was a motivation to make the most of whatever time God had given him.

James also tried to explain that life is unpredictable and short. He writes, “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away” (James 4:14). The writer of Hebrews echoes this sentiment urging believers to “encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today’” (Hebrews 3:13). All that we mortals have is the present. The past guides us. The future inspires us. The present is where we connect the two. That connection is crucial because what we do now gives the past meaning and determines the future. In other words, what we do now determines everything. Therefore use now to do what is most important.