“A voice says ‘Cry!” And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ All flesh is grass and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
Isaiah 40:6-8
As a budding gardener I am aware of how fragile the life of plants can be. Each plant has its own unique needs that need to be met in order for it to thrive. Even when cultivated properly the life cycle of a plant is rapid. They are here to be enjoyed for a brief season and gone the next.
The Bible likens our lives and frailty to grass and flowers. We are here for a season to display the glory of God and declare his excellencies and truth to the next generation. Our lives should shout amidst all temporal things, “The word of our God will stand forever.”
In light of the fleeting nature of life, may we run to win not just to finish. Because our children will learn to follow the biggest god they see, may we adore Christ with all that we have not neglecting time spent at his feet. Like Mary, may we waste all of our extravagant affection on Jesus and choose the “better part” that the next generation may be inspired to do the same. May it be said of us like the words of a Steffany Gretzinger song, “When I am old and gray and all my days are numbered on the earth, let it be known, in you alone, my joy was found” (No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus, Steffany Gretzinger).
Amen!