“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” — Psalm 39:4 NIV

Turning 50-years old was particularly difficult for me. It caught me off guard to realize that I had reached a birthday that once seemed so far into the future. I felt paralyzed from this unexpected milestone, until I was lamenting to my mother who interrupted me to say, How do you think I feel? — I now have a son who is 50-years old. I laughed at that perspective, which put me at ease and allowed me to become more conscious of the fleeting years of life.

The calendar turns with or without us, the clock doesn’t stop just because we wish it would, and old age overcomes our youth regardless of our approval. Unless we are honest about our humanity, we likely will make no plans beyond our mortality. One day death will close our eyes and we will awake to eternity. As I understand it from the pages of Scripture, it will be an eternity of glorious life for those who trust in the redemptive work of the Lord.

This week, give some thought to your afterlife and make all the necessary arrangements before death comes.