“Time sneaks up on you like a windshield on a bug,” wrote John Lithgow.

Have you ever noticed that the older you grow, the more time seems to accelerate? When I was a child, time seemed to crawl. Remember waiting for birthdays and Christmas?

The Bible says life is short. In the book of James, it’s described as a vapor. I asked my friends to tell me how we should live in light of its brevity.

“I wouldn’t be able to eat hot dogs, hamburgers and corn dogs every day,” says Jonathan, 5.

If Jonathan had no regard for life’s brevity, he would probably subscribe to Mark Twain’s culinary outlook: “Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”

Jonathan might not be the only one looking to Twain for insight. If life is short, Trey, 7, says, “We should start having more fun in school.” Twain wrote, “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”

Katherine, 6, looks to nature for inspiration: “Since our time on Earth is short, we should be a good person and be one of God’s flowers.”

I know a little about flowers because my wife had 15 rose bushes in her Sacramento garden when we met. The pattern that Moses received from God for the building of the tabernacle included flowers fashioned in a solid, gold lampstand of six branches (Exodus 37:17-18).

With the exception of the lampstand, the Bible uses the flower predominantly as an example of fading glory. As quickly as the flower blooms, its glory fades.

The Apostle Peter quoted the prophet Isaiah when he wrote, “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away, but the Word of the Lord endures forever” (I Peter 1:24-25).

In the days when Rome ruled the world, conquering armies returned from battle with displays of captured prisoners, booty and even exotic animals. The conquering Roman general rode in a chariot with his slave whispering in his ear, “All glory is fading.”

If you want to see faded glory, visit a nursing home. Sometimes it’s difficult to imagine elderly people as vibrant youth. They will be the first to tell you that the glory and vigor of youth quickly fades into aches, pains and doctor appointments.

From an eternal perspective, the fading glory of this life need not be a source of discouragement. If we’ve placed our eternal future into God’s hands by trusting the Lord Jesus as our savior, we can certainly trust him through the difficulties of our earthly sojourn. The same Apostle Peter who said our bodies are like falling flowers and withering grass wrote that we are but pilgrims passing through this life (I Peter 2:11).

Our real home is in heaven where Jesus has a place prepared for us. If we approach life with the view that every day is a gift from God rather than an entitlement, we won’t fret over the length of our sojourn. As Katie, 10, says, “We only live a certain amount of time, and nobody knows how long that is except God.”

Think about this: Live today unto God as though you are not entitled to tomorrow.

Memorize this truth: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men” (Colossians 3:23).

Ask this question: Are you living today as a pilgrim traveling to your eternal estate?

Kids Talk About God is designed for families to study the Bible together. Research shows that parents who study the Bible with their children give their character, faith and spiritual life a powerful boost. For more information about this column, visit www.KidsTalkAboutGod.org/email.

COPYRIGHT 2022 CAREY KINSOLVING