Psalm 102

"My days are like an evening shadow;
I wither away like grass."
Psalm 102:11

In the midst of a psalm of lament this verse jumped out and asked me to ponder upon it for a time. Our own death isn't something that we like to dwell upon but every once in a while it probably isn't a bad way to keep things in perspective. When I realize that my life is but a passing moment in the scope of eternity I'm invited to look at the world in some different ways. Even if I live for another 60 years, God willing, my existence will be but a brief moment in time. This reality invites two different but important responses: first it reminds me that the days I have should make a difference and second that many of the things that I think are of ultimate importance today won't matter in 100 years so why worry about them.
The tough part then is discerning the difference between what is important and what isn't worth worrying about. I have a feeling that the answer is going to have a lot to do with the people God invites me into relationship with and very little to do with the things that regularly fill my day.