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It’s so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life. I recently started my own copywriting business and have been spending a lot of time getting the business off the ground. I’m not complaining, actually I’m really enjoying it because I’m finally getting to do work that I love. But I’ve been so busy that the days just fly by. I didn’t even know it was Friday until I was driving into town this morning.
So when I find myself being super busy I like to take time to slow down. Something that helps me keep things in perspective is meditating on the brevity of life. I know many people think this sounds depressing and think, “Why would I want to think about the fact that I’m going to die one day? That’s so negative.”
Jesus Destroyed the Power of Death
But I don’t feel that way. For one, I have received the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. So I don’t have to worry about what happens to me after I die. In other words the fear of death does not control me anymore. I’m free to meditate on the fact that my time on earth is limited. And if you’re in Christ you’re free to do the same.
Psalm 90 is a great Psalm about the brevity of life. Here are a few good verses:
The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.
So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:10-12 NKJV
What Matters Most?
Even if I live to be 100 years old, I only have 73 years left on this earth. When I think about this I remember how important it is to give myself to what matters most in life. Loving God and loving people once again become high on my priority list. Being efficient with my time pales in comparison to loving what God loves.
When I live my life as if I will be here forever it’s easy to procrastinate doing the things that matter most. Does that make sense? It’s like I think, yeah I have a dream to help drug addicts and one day when I’m older and have lots of money I can build a treatment center for them. Or, once my business is up and running then I can spend more time with my wife and family.
Do ever have have thoughts like this?
Really all we have is today. Today we could minister to whoever God puts in our life. Today we could take a break from work (I’m preaching to myself now) and spend a little more time with our loved ones.
Redeem the Time
This also reminds me about when the Apostle Paul instructed us to redeem the time because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16). This is one of the reasons why I wanted to start my own business. I did not feel like I was redeeming the time by spending 3 hours a day in traffic and another 8 hours working a job that I was not passionate about. For me work is not a curse but an opportunity to redeem time.
Another way to redeem time would be to stay out of debt. We can laugh at the old saying, “I owe, I owe, so off to work I go” but it’s really not funny. So many people are willing to exchange time for material things. I don’t think it’s wrong to own nice things but if those nice things require you to live beyond your means that is a problem.
OK, I don’t know how I went from talking about death to debt. But I’m not deleting it because I think it’s good and life’s too short to constantly edit blog posts 
Let me know what you think about the brevity of life by leaving a comment below.
About Josh Monen
Josh is a Christian entrepreneur who lives in Central Texas with his wife and 4 kids.
Josh, This is some great stuff, for all of us. Thank You!
Josh, this is a nice piece. I also think that meditating on the brevity of life will help us keep things generally in proper perspective. Thanks!
Thank you Bunmi. I agree, it really does help us to have proper perspective about life.