The Vanity Of Your Youth

Ecclesiastes 11:9-10

  Why is it that we think that whatever we doing right now is the most important thing in our life? Whatever job we have. What ever interest. Whatever crisis. We tend to limit ourselves to whatever current situation we are in as our permanent lot in life. Why?

  I can remember graduating high school thinking, " Man, I'm leaving my whole life behind." Because, for twelve years it was my entire life. Nor was their, or could be anything greater at the time.  

  When you listen to a graduating senior speak at graduation it usually sounds like a funeral of a life dieing with a little hope for the future tucked in, because life as they know has come to an abrupt end.

 If you speak to a younger student they can't image ever not being in school. They can't imagine anything being longer or more important than what they are doing right now. That can't see ahead. This is why we adults often shake our head at teenage drama, because we see a bigger picture from a hind sight view.  

 Young people seldom weigh their present actions against future consequences. This gets aggravating to parents because we often see the road some of their actions lead to. And if we are Christian we often agonize over the impending judgement they will face for bad decisions. (Ecclesiastes 11:9) It hurts our soul.

 You here of stories where men suffer their whole life due to injuries they sustained during high school sports. But at the time it was the best thing in life. The wouldn't dare miss it irregardless of consequences later, that of coarse wouldn't happen to them. But momma sees it and worries.

  What about young girls who lose their purity before time because they "loved" their boyfriend and want the pleasure of the moment. Years later the lament getting pregnant at a young age and having the rest of their childhood ripped away in one throw of passion.

  When I look back on my youth I see it now as a very small portion of life. I graduated in 1992 and I have now been out of school longer than I was in. I got married at the age of 26, late for a lot of people, and my wife and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary this year. Two more years and I will have been married longer than I was in school.

 My grandfather was married 13 years to his first wife and fathered three children. You would think that was his whole life. But, he remarried a second time and was married for 40 years. In my entire 36 years I never new him when he was married the first time. But, I'm sure at the time it seemed like his whole life. 

 I thought my twins would always be babies but they will be 8 on their birthday, and I realized they were growing up when my wife and I couldn't spell things to each other any more to keep a secret.

 Now lets Jump Forward....

                                             James 4:14

Lets Jump forward not a year, not a decade, but a century. You do realize you will be fully conscience then? Where is up to you now. Maybe even jump ahead a few millennium. Will your ballgames seem important? Will your favorite T.V. show seem important? Will the decoration of your house seem important?

 A million years from now you'll look back on your life and it will be a faint memory just like your school life is now. You will realize that your time on earth was the shortest portion of your eternity.

 Even if your 80 your still an ungraduated babe.  Your real life has yet to begin. 

  I say all that to say this. Are you using your days productively? Are you still thinking about eternity now as you thought about life when you were in school? That it is an unforeseen sometime that doesn't bare any consequence to you. 

 I know as well as anyone, we all have a limited amount of productive time. And, an even more limited amount of productive time that will carry over into eternity. 

 Some days I don't produce anything, because I get sidetracked on stuff to do around the house, or I get caught up with folks who need me for something else. Some days its all I can do to just keep an eye on my kids and read a little in my Bible. I don't produce anything for eternity. Some of you have produced very little in the way of eternity and your not about to start now. This is sad.

 I look at it this way, If I live to be 72, I'm half way there! What about you? How much do you have left, and how do you plan to spend it? On things that matter for eternity or things that don't?

 I stopped wasting my time on pursuits that don't matter for eternity. I used to want ten acres of land, but now I'm glad God only provided us a half acre. A half acre takes a lot of my productive time away as it is ( and I often do a poor job at maintaining that, thank God for good neighbors) I couldn't imagine how much ten acres would take away. God knows what he is doing.

 So how much of what is important in your thinking now will be important in a million years? In the limited productive time you have left, how much will be spent on things that matter for eternity? A thousand years from now will you look back on what you thought was important and think you were being foolish?

  Let me say this. If you have still not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ. No matter how successful you may think you are you have not yet done 1 productive thing ever! All has been vanity( or a waste of time) up to this point. All will burn with you for ever in hell. What a sad waste of a life. 

  Just as school is to prepare you for life, this life is to prepare you for eternity.  Are you getting prepared? Or are you still living in The vanity of your youth?