28,726 Days
There is an ancient Hebrew saying…
“Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.”
DEATH IS THE DESTINY OF EVERYONE.
That’s a pretty morbid statement.
Granted, it’s true; there’s no denying the reality that…
EVERYONE DIES.
But still, the suggestion that the living – those still drawing breath, those whose hearts are still beating, those who still have time – the suggestion that they should focus and meditate on the fact that…
DEATH AWAITS US ALL
…is a little dark. At minimum, it’s disheartening…discouraging…depressing.
And believe it or not, when read it in its original context, this saying becomes even more dire and foreboding. This proverb comes from the pen of Israel’s King Solomon, and we find it today in a section of the Jewish Ketuvim called Ecclesiastes.
There Solomon paints a picture of everyday life, or what he calls “chasing after the sun.” He says, “Everything we do in life – all the things we make and build and accomplish…all the activities we engage and participate in…everything we work for, aspire to, and achieve… everything we do between the cradle and the grave – is done in the sand on the shore of an immense ocean called ‘time.’
And eventually, the tide of time and death will come in. And when it does, it will wipe away everything we’ve done…and any memory of it.
No trace of anything we did…
No trace of anything we built…
No trace of anything we dreamed about…
No trace of anything we struggled over…
No trace of anything we fought for…
Will remain.
Every business we developed.
Every relationship we engaged in.
Every possession we acquired.
Along with…
Every victory we celebrated and…
Every hardship we endured…
Will all eventually be washed away and forgotten. The sand on the shore will return to its previous state with…
NO EVIDENCE WE WERE EVER HERE.
Go back and read through each of those large, bolded statements…
DEATH IS THE DESTINY OF EVERYONE.
EVERYONE DIES.
DEATH AWAITS US ALL
NO EVIDENCE WE WERE EVER HERE.
…and life can start to feel hopeless…
Worthless…
Meaningless.
But here’s the deal.
What Solomon tells ‘the living’ to do – take these things to heart – should actually create a completely different emotion inside us and elicit some very specific action from us.
Ecclesiastes is one of the most misunderstood books in all of sacred literature.
38x in the English translation of this ancient tome, Solomon says something is “meaningless.”
Education – meaningless
Possessions – meaningless
Popularity – meaningless
Work – meaningless
Politics – meaningless
Sex - meaningless
Power – meaningless
Wealth - meaningless
Hobbies – meaningless
Exercise – meaningless
Accomplishments – meaningless
Promotions - meaningless
“Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless.” That’s what the English translation says 38x. But it’s not what Solomon says. Solomon says, “Everything is HEBEL!”
And
HEBEL
Means
VAPOR.
Now, it’s not difficult to see how a translator could ponder this concept – Everything is vapor – and come to the conclusion that Solomon is saying, “Everything is meaningless.” But is ‘vapor’ synonymous with ‘meaningless’? Are mist and fog useless or purposeless?
For much of my life, I probably would’ve said, “yes,” but after living for several years in the mist and fog of the Pacific Northwest, I learned that without VAPOR the redwoods…the giant ferns…some of the most breathtaking scenery on the planet…would not exist. The unique, almost mystical ecosystem of Redwood National Forest is wholly dependent upon fog, mist, vapor to keep it hydrated and healthy.
So, vapor isn’t meaningless; it’s just temporary.
And there’s a huge difference between…
MEANINGLESS
And
TEMPORARY.
When we wake up to the fact that something is temporary – that it won’t last forever – that thing or experience is suddenly INFUSED WITH MEANING.
When you look at your baby girl sleeping in her crib, and you know she’ll only be an infant for a short time…
When you look at your son who’s graduating from high school, and you know you only have weeks left before he moves out and goes to college…
When your spouse receives that dreaded diagnosis, and you know you only have months left together…
What happens to that time?
It becomes INFUSED WITH MEANING.
You try to relish and enjoy every last moment.
You take pictures, because you don’t want the moment to end.
You intentionally create memories you can carry with you.
You do all the things you put off doing because you were too busy before.
You don’t look at that time as meaningless or pointless. No, it’s hebel…it’s vapor…it’s temporary…so you do everything you can to appreciate and enjoy it. The time becomes…
Valuable
Precious
Cherished
Sacred
This is why Solomon says…
“Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.”
He’s not being morbid or morose. He’s saying…
Everyone dies.
YOU.
WILL.
DIE.
And you have no idea when.
So, take this to heart.
Live each day likes it’s your last.
Life is temporary.
INFUSE
YOURS
WITH
MEANING!
28,726
Based on the most current data, that’s how many days the average person living in the US gets. The average life expectancy for people in America is 78.7 years or 28,726 days. 28,726 days to frolic in the sand on the shore of the immense ocean of time.
And to put things in perspective…to get really personal about this, there are people who have already exceeded their allotment of days. They’re in their 80’s or 90’s, and that means – to use a common phrase – they’re living on borrowed time. Well, who are they borrowing that time from?
Any of us who are UNDER 78.7 years of age.
We’ve only got 28,726 days, and they’re using some of ours!
Not only that, but sociologists and behavioral scientists tell us that the average person spends…
11,000 days sleeping
8,000 days working
1,400 days eating
1,200 days driving
400 days on personal grooming
200 days waiting in line
That leaves us with just 6-7,000 days to play in the sand.
And if you’re 33+ years old, you’ve already spent 12,000+ of your days.
The math is NOT in our favor.
So, if this is all the time we get, can we really afford to:
Waste another day just going through the motions?
Waste another week at a dead-end job?
Waste another month not pursuing that dream?
Waste another year comparing ourselves to others?
Waste another decade not feeling fully alive?
Solomon says…
“THE LIVING SHOULD TAKE THIS TO HEART.”
He says you need to stop living like you have unlimited time, because when you think you have unlimited time…
TIME IS MEANINGLESS.
But when you know your days are hebel…mist…vapor…temporary…
EVERY DAY IS INFUSED WITH MEANING.
Solomon wants us to remember that death is coming. It’s always lurking just around the corner. The tide of time will one day roll in without warning or explanation, and the sand of life will be wiped clean.
So, take stock of your life.
Decide what really matters.
Figure out what fills you up and go after it.
Consider how you’re wired and what you’re designed to do; then do it.
Think about who you want to invest in and how you can make their life better.
Think about who brings you life and make a plan to spend as much time with them as possible.
Decide today that you’re going to invest yourself in things that matter.
Give yourself to things of consequence.
As much as it depends on you,
make a decision to
appreciate,
enjoy,
celebrate,
and cherish
every moment you have in this world,
because you never know when the tide will roll in.
“Death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.”
© 2021 Hayah Consulting LLC
