I remember recently when my kids and I were traveling to Indianapolis. We headed there after school one day, so it was dark for most of the trip. Traveling had gone very smoothly. We were on a small stretch of highway when out of nowhere there was a huge, thick fog. Now, I have been in fog before, but nothing to this level. This was a fog that I literally could not see anything in front of me. I slowed down some, but worried about slowing too much in case there were cars behind me. And then crazy enough, the fog lifted just as quickly as it had come.
This trip reminded me of the verses in James regarding our lives.
“Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog–it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.” James 4:13-16
James was not discouraging believers about having goals or making plans, but was placing the emphasis on the fact that God must be in those plans because the future is in His hands. We can have our plans, but must hold onto them loosely, leaving room for God to work. These verses talk about the frailty of life. The deepest meaning of these verses is in reference to the fact that no matter how long we live, our life in comparison to eternity is truly like a vapor or a morning fog. It is here for a moment and then it’s gone. In light of this we must make the most of every opportunity.
These verses can also be in reference to the fact that lives can change in an instant without the loss of life being involved. Have you ever had an event take place in your life that changed the trajectory of it forever? These events could be positive or negative. Sometimes it is eye-opening to read previous journals or think about our lives and how much can change in an instant. Maybe it was divorce, maybe a change in occupation, maybe a severed family relationship, maybe a diagnosis, or maybe the birth of a child, a wedding, or a new friend. Our lives can change like the morning fog. Again, as James referenced, it is important that we don’t put too much faith in our own plans or own ideas of how our lives will look five days, five years, or five decades from now. God knows the circumstances that you will face in your life and He will never leave you. Our goal is to live each day, no matter what it looks like, fulfilling God’s plan for our lives. He is the only one who knows exactly how our story will be written so we might as well give Him the pen and let Him lead us every day.
This devotional was written by Amy Carrico of Making the Moments Matter. Click HERE to follow her on Facebook!
Last Updated on February 24, 2025
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