We live near a beautiful valley, and a beautiful lake. Sometimes in the morning there is a beautiful mist that hangs over the valley. The lake can completely disappear under it. But within an hour of the sun coming up and it’s normally gone. God says, your life is like that (James 4:14). It’s so short. We come and we go. We don’t like to think like that, we like to think we’re important, significant, but in 100 years, who will remember you? I can remember my grandparents, but I don’t even know the names of my great-grandparents!
In the book of James, God is warning his people about the danger of double-mindedness. That is, of following God and yet loving the world. In chapter 4, the particular danger seems to be a pride in planning. It’s not that planning is wrong, it’s just foolish if we leave God out of the equation. James warns against the arrogance of planning your life as if you’re going to be around forever. Here is someone who thinks, ‘we’ll do business here this week, then there next week, and then next year we’ll be even greater and we’ll trade with such and such.’ God wakes us up – “you’re a mist”! You don’t know how long you will live for. Don’t make plans with no reference to God. Yes, make plans, but recognise that they are always subject to interruption. Older Christians often say “I’ll be there, D.V.” This is an abbreviation for the Latin “Deo volente” which means “if God wills”. It’s a healthy attitude to have.
As one dear old man I knew used to say “you put your boots on in the morning, but you don’t know who will take them off in the evening.” Live every day in the light of eternity, and that it’s God who is in control and not you. Living life knowing that you are like a mist does not mean that you are not important. In fact if you belong to Jesus, you are so important to God that He gave His Son for you so that you can enjoy life that is more than a mist – eternal life.
Light and Momentary Troubles 
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