My husband works for an insurance company. When you deal in life insurance, death is a topic that is put on the table every day, and people don’t always like it. I’ll admit that it’s not the most upbeat topic, even for a blog post, but it’s a reality of life. We would be remiss if we didn’t make ourselves take a look at it every now and then.

I was wearing my recruiting hat yesterday, so I went into the office with Kevin. One of our agents came in to see him, looking a little downcast. Kevin asked if she’d gotten the big case finished that she’d been working on, and she replied with a resounding NO. It seemed the client had completed the investment work with the agent, but kept putting off finishing out the plan by taking care of the life insurance. The rest of their conversation went something like this, as Kevin lead off:

“Well, do you have a date set to get it finished?”

“It was set for Monday, after she got back from seeing her grandkids.”

“But the lady changed it?”

“No. She died. I just got word. Massive heart attack.”

We all were silent for a second, lost in our own thoughts.

After some reassurance, the agent left, and very soon after, we heard a HUGE crash from the street below. One whole wall of the office is floor-to-ceiling glass, so we had a very clear view from 33 floors above the car that had rear-ended the one in front of it. We watched as emergency vehicles came from two different directions, and as they carefully removed what appeared to be a woman from her badly-damaged car. One minute, on her way to work; next minute, on her way to the hospital.

Later, I was washing my hands in the ladies room, when another employee was spritzing on a little perfume. It smelled nice as I watched the fine spray vanish almost as it left its bottle and I thought about those two women. They both had plans. They both had places to go and people to see. They both were counting on more time to get things done…to take care of the important…but, just like that perfume…

Life is a vapor.

I’m thankful to have awakened today. I don’t hold my own time clock in my hands, and as much as I’d like to tell you otherwise, neither do you. Today’s the day to take stock of your relationship with the One who does. Today’s the day for fleshing out dormant dreams, breathing new life into stagnant relationships, offering forgiveness even if it’s not deserved, and forging ahead to complete the important, because, as much as you might truly be gone tomorrow, you are STILL HERE TODAY.

“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].” James 4:14 AMP

“You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;  at best, each of us is but a breath.” Psalm 39:5 NLT

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NIV