Job 14:1-2 – “Man, that is born of woman (human) is of few days (compared to eternity) and full of trouble.  (Life and aging are not easy.)  2 He comes forth like a flower, and others fade away; he flees like a shadow and continues not.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God, a reality gripped my heart from the Book of Job.  The words of Job 14:1-2 prompted me to meditate on life, aging, and eternity.
The young are seemingly invincible, strong, and filled with vigor and vitality.   They have smooth skin, strong muscles, and are agile, flexible, and active.   But time marches on, and soon, the evidence of age manifests itself, and we begin to wither.

That could be, and is, a morbid reality for many.   I have traveled the road of life for many decades.   My youthful vibrance has given way to the painful reality that my body cannot do what my mind can conceive.  Time marches on!  Facing that reality would be horrifying and depressing without several anchors and answers to several questions.

Job 14:14 – “If a man dies, shall he live again?”   The rest of that verse is never read – “All the days of his youth, he waits till old age comes.”   Job answered the question in Job 19:25-27.   He spoke of death and said, “In my flesh, I shall see God.”

Paul addressed this in 1 Corinthians 15.  He revealed that we have hope beyond this life because Jesus rose again, and so shall we.  (v.19).   He took a natural event to give a spiritual truth.  We die like naturally planted seeds, then spring into real life.  (vv 42-44).  In (v. 52), he gave that anchor to which we cling:  “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet…we shall be changed.” Life out of death, immortality out of mortality.  Renewed youth out of agedness.

We are temporary sojourners on Earth.  We wear out physically, even if not mentally.  We never wear out in our spirits.  Therefore, whether we are young and flourishing physically or in the sunset years, we are valuable and have a function, a commission, and a purpose.  But this is all temporary.

Two closing thoughts: Stay focused on the destination and cherish every day.  Life is for living, and living is for life.  Do not waste the time you have.   Do not live in a way that produces regrets.   I have always used Moses as my inspiration.   At 80, when most retire and lose the fire, he had just begun.   At 120, he went home, and it says, “His strength was not diminished, nor his eyesight lost.” Even if that cannot be said about us physically, let it be a reality spiritually.

Jesus is coming, and I believe it will be soon.  Live every day to the fullest.

Keep looking up, our help and hope are on the way!