Has anybody ever asked you, “What are you doing?” Did you realize that this is actually a deep, philosophical question? Stick with me for a minute and let’s see.
But first, have you ever watched a pot of water on a stove come to a boil? Steam rises into the air, and then quickly disappears. Oh sure, you engineers could probably explain to us that the steam from the boiling water isn’t really “gone”. It’s still technically there in the air, and if you had the right equipment, you could probably even measure it. But, for all practical purposes, the steam is gone. It was there briefly. It was easily seen. And then, it is gone.
That is the picture that James, the brother of Jesus, wants us to have in our minds when we read his words in Chapter 4:14 of his letter – “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
I’ve read that verse many times. I’ve even preached on that verse. I’m not sure I ever really understood it, or ever really believed it. Maybe James was exaggerating for effect. Maybe he really meant that our lives were more like the fog that rolls in sometimes in layers so thick that it messes up traffic on The Causeway, and shuts down boat traffic on The Mississippi River for days at a time. Or maybe he really meant that our lives were like the giant thunderclouds that can tower up miles into the air, and which generate massive bolts of lightning in a display of amazing power, and bring torrents of rain that replenish the Earth. Both the thick fog and the giant thunderclouds are “mists” like the tiny puffs of steam coming off a pot of hot water, but so much more powerful and durable. Surely that’s the image James wanted us to picture, because those kinds of mists have an impact on the world, and isn’t that what we are called to do and to be for The Kingdom of God? Surely?
Uhm, no. Not really. Last week, I finally came to understand the point James was making. I was driving. And probably like most of you, I was driving with no thought whatsoever that my life is a mist. Suddenly, and in far less time that it takes to describe how it happened, I was confronted with a deadly traffic situation, and I could have easily vanished away. Instead, by the grace and providence of God, I survived without a scratch. [The car – not so much.] I did not leave my home that day thinking I might never return. But it could have easily happened – just like a mist. James – I believe you now!
And God says, “Oh, so now you believe the words of my servant? Good! You are finally on the road to wisdom.”
Earlier in his letter, James said that we can ask God for wisdom, and He will give it to us [James 1:5]. I’ve probably been confused about this verse too. I’ve probably thought this was a tip on how to learn without studying – a shortcut to loads of quick and easy knowledge! Like so many of us, I tend to think that knowledge is the same thing as wisdom.
But the even more ancient words of Moses say, “Teach us how short our lives are so that we can become wise.” – Psalm 90:12 [ERV]. There is no wisdom until we realize the brevity of life. That is what James was trying to teach us. When we take James at his word and ask God for wisdom, this is where the lesson will begin.
And I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. We all know that “time flies”. Most of us have probably had “close calls” before. I guess the question is whether or not any of those “close calls” have led us into the path of wisdom – the path where we realize that life is not about me, but about how I can help others get on the path to wisdom. And, by the way, “The fear of The Lord is the beginning of wisdom” – Psalm 111:10.
So, when someone asks, “What are you doing?”, they may not realize it, but they are, indeed, asking a deep, philosophical question. Our time is limited. And what we are doing with our brief time demonstrates whether or not we have learned wisdom.
I just spent a good bit of what’s left of my time writing this note. What are you doing?
~Shepherd Ambrose Ramsey
