THE FRAILTY OF HUMAN EXISTENCE
Life is like a vapor in the hand of man.
It appears for a little while, dances in the light of the morning, and then vanishes into the invisible.
Man wakes with plans, builds with ambition, speaks as though tomorrow belongs to him, yet tomorrow has never signed a covenant with any mortal. The breath in our lungs is borrowed. The strength in our bones is lent. The days we count are not owned by us but entrusted to us.
THE PURPOSE OF LIFE
An old African proverb says, “The river does not drink its own water.”
Its existence is for purpose beyond itself.
So it is with life.
Life is not merely given for pleasure, accumulation, or applause. It is a sacred trust. A gift wrapped in time and tied with responsibility.
THE VANITY OF EARTHLY GLORY
Many walk the earth as though permanence is their inheritance, forgetting that every palace shall one day know dust, every crown shall lose its shine, and every name shouted by crowds will eventually fade into silence.
What then is the glory of man?
To gather wealth and leave it.
To build houses and abandon them.
To chase shadows and call them substance.
This is the vanity of life under the sun.
For life without understanding is like carrying water in a woven basket, much movement, little preservation.
THE BREVITY OF TIME
The wise know that existence is brief.
Like mist over the morning river.
Like smoke rising from firewood.
Like footprints on the seashore erased by the next wave.
So fragile is man.
Yet within this fragility lies a great mystery: though life is short, its consequences are eternal.
THE BOOKS OF ETERNITY
Every word spoken.
Every wound inflicted.
Every kindness given.
Every truth ignored.
Every opportunity wasted.
All are being written in the invisible books of eternity.
For God does not only give life, He watches how it is spent.
He watches how we treated the poor.
How we handled power.
How we spoke to the weak.
How we carried truth.
How we loved.
How we forgave.
How we obeyed.
THE TEST OF STEWARDSHIP
Life is a gift, but stewardship is the test.
A farmer who wastes seed cannot blame the soil at harvest.
So too, a soul that wastes life cannot question God at judgment.
Many complain about the brevity of life, yet the tragedy is not that life is short, but that many live it without purpose.
To breathe is not enough.
To exist is not enough.
To succeed is not enough.
THE GREAT QUESTION OF EXISTENCE
The true question is this:
What did your life become in the hands of God?
Did your days heal or destroy?
Did your presence build or scatter?
Did your words give life or deepen wounds?
THE COURTROOM OF GOD
For one day, every man shall stand naked before eternity, stripped of titles, wealth, beauty, and influence.
Kings and servants alike will become equal in the courtroom of God.
There, no man will be asked how long he lived, but how well.
Not how much he gathered, but what he gave.
Not how loudly he was praised, but how deeply he loved.
Not how many followed him, but whether he followed truth.
THE HIDDEN WEIGHT OF LIFE
This is the hidden weight of life.
A candle does not choose how long it burns, but it can choose whether its light blesses the darkness.
So while the vapor remains, live wisely.
Walk humbly.
Love deeply.
Forgive quickly.
Speak truth.
Honor God.
For the gift of life is temporary, but the account of it is eternal.
And when the final breath leaves the body, it will not matter how brightly the world knew your name, but whether heaven knew your heart.
FINAL SCRIPTURE
“For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
Ecclesiastes 12:14 KJV
