More than a “Mist”

‘Tis the season for football and you might say I’m “old school” where football is concerned. I like to see the game played in the elements. Rain. Sleet. Snow. Almost a rarity in our day of indoor stadiums. Bad weather just brings an extra variable to the game. It brings an unpredictability that I like, as long as I’m in a cozy seat on my couch, of course.

While the game itself is more interesting when the weather is bad, there’s one thing I’ve noticed about these games that doesn’t really have anything to do with football. There’s something that the players, the fans, the coaches, the commentators, everyone there, has in common. Their breath. A little weird, I know. But it’s something you don’t really notice except in the cold weather.

You’ve seen it. You’ve most likely experienced it yourself. When you breathe out in the cold, your breath appears as a mist. Like fog. The reason for this is based on the changing temperature between your body and the cold air. The water in your breath condensates and forms the mist we see. Football player or football fan, rich or poor, famous or infamous, there’s no avoiding it. We’re all subject to the same physical laws. It happens to all of us. You couldn't avoid it even if you wanted to.

So, what’s the big deal about this mist (other than it just being kind of cool to me)? It disappears almost immediately! You can breathe in and out, over and over, but the mist never stays long. It’s there for a little while and then it’s gone. James writes that our lives are just like that. He says, “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (Jms 4:14). Taken by itself, that statement seems a little depressing, doesn’t it? I mean, we might think to ourselves, “What’s the point?” And Solomon, in his wisdom, adds to this downer when we read, ‘“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”’ (Ecc 1:2).

Don’t miss the caveat! As I said, this verse could be depressing if taken by itself. But neither “Taken by itself.”  James nor Solomon made these statements to stand-alone. Rather, these points are made by both writers, inspired by God, to emphasize exactly the opposite. Our lives are meaningless, yes, but only when lived outside of the will of God. When we live within the will of God, as I said in my last post, when we live “Deo Volente”, our lives have meaning and purpose. Without God, our lives are “mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

Solomon searched for purpose through wealth, fame, pleasure, lavish houses, and reputation. He found that they were “utterly meaningless.” Yet, today, we continue to search for the same things and hope to find meaning and purpose. After the search. After experiencing it all. Solomon’s conclusion is pretty straight forward. Outright simple:

Now all has been heard;

    here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

    for this is the duty of all mankind (Ecc 12:13)

Knowing God is the whole enchilada! That’s what “fear” of God really means. To know Him and put Him in His proper place. With a reverence that we can’t avoid when we really know who He is. It is serving God that puts all the pieces of the puzzle of life in place. Bringing us meaning and purpose.

Here’s something else I want you to know- keeping His commandments isn’t all that complicated either. Sure, we can study and dissect. Evaluate and analyze. All in an effort to know what God wants us to do for Him and how He wants us to obey Him. That’s not a bad thing. Studying, searching, and seeking are really good things in fact. But while we’re doing that, we can take action. Start somewhere. We can start by simply doing good. In fact, Paul tells us that doing good is what we are created for.  He says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” Eph 2:10.

As we plan our futures, while we look for God’s calling, be assured that doing good should be part of our plans and part of our calling. Help someone. Serve someone. In whatever way you can as you have opportunity. In small acts or in lifelong endeavors. Doing good is what we are created for and it brings honor to God.

So, do something good today. Do something for someone else. Do it in the name of Jesus. Make your life more than a “mist.”