Why Focus on a Few Years?

Has it ever occurred to you that you and people around you focus on a few short years of life? I was thinking of this recently and wondering why it was that people do seem to focus their attention on a brief stay on earth and give little thought to what lies beyond death!

This is the issue that we must deal with at this time. I did a search on this subject and found the following as to the life expectancy of people in the world:

This chart shows that the health transition began at different times in different world regions; Oceania began to see increases in life expectancy around 1870, while Africa didn’t begin to see increases until around 1920.

Since then life expectancy doubled in all world regions.

  • In Oceania life expectancy increased from 35 years before the health transition to 79 years in 2019.
  • In Europe from 34 to 79 years.
  • In the Americas from 35 to 77 years.
  • In Asia from 27.5 to 73.6.
  • And in Africa from 26 years to 63 years.

Globally the life expectancy increased from an average of 29 to 73 years in 2019. (https://ourworldindata.org/life-expectancy).

We can rejoice that people are living longer these days and in this way and at these places.

However, we must ask: Why is it that people around you may live a few years and then die and go their way? According to the above list, some people may live to be 79 years, others may live an average of 77 years, still others may live to be 73 years, and finally some may live to be 63 years. But whether we speak about 77 or 63, or even 90 and 50, we all live a relatively brief time here on earth. As Solomon warns us, “Childhood and the prime of life are fleeting” (Ecclesiastes 11:10). For all of us, our time on earth is “fleeting” and “we fly away.”

According to statistics, generally a man may live to a certain age and a woman may live a few years longer, but still they both may live a short period of time. One nation may live a shorter period of time and another country may live a few years longer. But all of this shows that we will one day, relatively soon, die, our bodies will be put in the ground or burned, and our end will come. (See especially: https://ourworldindata.org/life-expectancy)

We know that some people think that they are somewhat like Rover and will be like a dog or a cat and will face life like this. I know of a couple of people who think that death will end it all for them but most people do think that they will somehow survive death. It is true that some people mistakenly think that they will be reincarnated. Others think that they will go to a “better place” or “heaven” regardless of how they lived or what they believed or disbelieved. But most people do think that they will continue on in some way after they breathe their last here on earth. (The wrongful idea that people will go to be with God regardless of what they believe or do is called “universalism” and it is believed by a great number of people.)

My question to you and all others would be: Why do you focus your life and present pursuits on this life—when most of you do believe in some form of a life to come? Even if we were to live to be 100, still this is very, very brief compared to the age of the earth. Suppose that God created all things 6,000 years ago (I realize that this is a questionable figure). If so, and the person lived to the “ripe old age” of 100, this would be a mere 1/60 of the age of the earth. If you were to live to age of 50, this would be 1/120 of the age of the earth. This is very short, don’t you think?

We use the term “few” above but by this we may compare this to 1,000 years and 80 is a “few” in comparison. If we were to live 1,000 years, our life of 80 years would be considered a “few.” Do you keep this in mind when you think of your life and the age of the earth? Compared to 10,000 your life of 80 years is brief; compared to 1 million years, your age would be very brief; and compared to 1 billion years, your age of 80 would be very, very, very brief!

And yet we are content to live our brief life unprepared to face death or unprepared to face what lies beyond death. If you had to give an account for every word, every thought, every act, and every place where you have been, how can you face death—and eternity beyond death? But think of your friends, your family members, your relatives, your neighbors, your fellow-workers, and others. They too must die at age 60, 70, 80, or 90. And their very brief life will be only the beginning. For most people—almost all people—their brief life will only begin their misery, their eternal misery, their eternity with God (or perhaps we should say “without God”).

Now is the time to prepare to meet God. Now is the time to not focus on this life and this world but the life to come. Won’t you come to God today—a relationship that is possible only because of Christ Jesus!