Fading Beauty

15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

Like many insects, the mayfly has a lifespan of less than a day. Even if it is healthy and isn’t squashed by someone’s shoe, the mayfly will not live more than 24 hours. This seems so brief to us! But in the grand scope of the universe, human life is also brief. Compared to the age of our planet, a human life of even a hundred years seems short.

Psalm 103 uses the example of flowers in a field to describe how short our life is. These plants are beautiful, but they last for just a season, and some of them bloom for only a day.

The same is true for us. Even though our lives have value and beauty, our bodies will eventually die. This can feel frightening to us. It can make us feel insignificant, and it shows us we have no control over the circumstances of our own death or when it will come.

But Psalm 103 assures us that we can place our hope in God, who created us and watches over our lives. “From everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him.” This promised love will last longer than we could imagine. The beauty of our lives will fade, but the beauty of God’s care, protection, and love for us will last forever.

Eternal God, I confess that I can be frightened by the briefness of my life and of the lives of people I love. Teach me to rely on your love, which is “from everlasting to everlasting.” Amen.