Moment in the Word

Hosea 13:3 - Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that disappears, like chaff swirling from a threshing floor, like smoke escaping through a window.

 

Three weeks ago, I sent a Get-Well card to a longtime friend who was in a Springfield hospital. Sadly, the postal service was slower than the days remaining, and her time ran out.

 

The hospital stamped the envelope, "NO LONGER HERE - RETURN TO SENDER," and mailed the correspondence back to me. The words were truly poignant since her funeral was held a week ago.

 

Holding the letter, I quietly thought, "No longer here... something that we will all be someday."

 

During a sudden but prolonged ordeal, Job complained, "How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble!" (Job 14:1)

 

Each of us will eventually experience this same difficult truth during our own final days. Even Jesus said, "You will look for me, but you will not find me..." (John 7:34)

 

Consequently, Solomon admonished, "Keep your Creator in mind while you are still young! In later years, you will be burdened with troubles and say, 'I don't enjoy life anymore.'" (Ecclesiastes 12:1)

 

Much like his son, King David also realized God's important role in our lives, "My times are in your hands." (Psalms 31:15)

 

We would be equally wise to make the psalmist's prayer our own, "Teach us to use wisely all the time we have." (Psalms 90:12)

 

Why?

 

Because, as with my old friend, the pronouncement made for her will eventually be made for each of us when we pass, "NO LONGER HERE - RETURN TO SENDER."