The Mayfly
It was another beautiful start to the day as the waters came to life with the typical sights and sounds that accompany a sunrise on the Santee River, but today there was a difference. On one short stretch of riverbank, hundreds of mayflies were flying. It’s unusual to see mayflies because the extent of their existence, for all practical purposes, is only one day. They live in the water in their undeveloped form for a year or so, but their life as a mature winged insect only lasts 24 hours. Hundreds, and even thousands, can be seen flying around where a hatch just took place; it really is a sight to see, and the fish sure take note, too.
Consider now the brevity of life as defined by Scripture. James 4:14 says, “For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away”. The word ‘vapor’, also defined as ‘steam’ or ‘breath’, seems to not just imply a short time period, but also something of relative insignificance. The Greek word for ‘a little while’ is ‘olives’, which is also used in in Matthew 9:37 (the workers are few), Matthew 25:21 (faithful in a few things), and Matthew 15:34 (a few small fish). The significance of James 4:14 in comparison to other usages in Scripture, is that anything of relative insignificance, whether it be of time or substance, can be exponentially multiplied by God for His glory. Our lives, although compared to an insignificant and fleeting vapor, can have an immeasurably profound impact if given to God as the young boy gave his few small fish in Matthew 15. May we also give ourselves for His glory.
As a mayfly’s life is numbered for only one day, let us ask of God as the Psalmist, “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). The existence of a vapor is brief as compared to the lifespan of a mayfly; the existence of a mayfly is brief as compared to the average lifespan of a human, but in light of eternity, all are an infinitely fractional amount of time. We are here for only ‘a little while’; let us be intentional with our appointed time and live with an eternal perspective, according to His power, for His glory. “He has put eternity in their hearts” (Ecc 3:11). May we live in the wisdom of this reality.
