a wisp of smoke.

after every volleyball practice, i lead a bible study for the team. we've been studying james together. it's been an interesting growing experience for me. i've learned so much and have loved digging really deep into james and spending time thinking about each verse. 

on thursday we were reading the end of james 4 and looking specifically at verse 14.

[amplified] Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air]. 

[NIV] Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

[ESV] Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

we are a mist.... that's incredibly humbling. as humans we want to think we are in control. but in reality: God holds our lives in the palm of his hand. he knows the number of hairs on our head. he know the days of our birth and death. he leads and guides and loves. 

the balance of our insignificance in the vastness of the world, yet the importance of the individual in God's eyes is a mystery. i do know that while the mist of our lives is visible-- it should be lived for God. and while the vapor of our breath is here on earth-- we should be breathing for God. each moment could be our last; so live fully right where God wants you. 

is there something you been putting off that God is asking you to do? don't wait. live.