VANITY

Anxiety filled her mind although she hoped to have a great time on the flight. She boarded the plane and located her seat, fastened her belt and whispered a prayer. She had just attended her colleague’s internment.

He was full of life, vibrant, energetic and very business minded. He had properties in different parts of the world and investments innumerable. He had just introduced her to the Rich Worldlings Club, there you learn the tricks of being among the who is who and get to travel round the world. The day he suddenly slumped and died, he was attending an international business trip without any premonitions of what was ahead.

The voice of the air hostess giving the pre-flight safety briefings jolted her back to her immediate environment. Moments after, the plane took off, and up in the sky she was. She took a quick glance at the houses below through the cabin window. Buildings looked extremely small and roads were like tiny streams where visible. Seeing the world from thousands of feet up in the air made her realize the vanity of life the more. So this is all Mr X laboured for and eventually took nothing away she mused.

She remembered two of her Pastor’s favourite Bible passages, Ecclesiastes 1:2-3, “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?” 1Timothy 6:7, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” I have to reorder my priorities, she concluded.

Friends, you may not have been so preoccupied with the things of this life like Mr X was, but it’s still important we look at our individual lives and reconsider what our priorities really are. What have I lived for, what am I living for and what do I hope to keep living for? A huge bank account, vast property, countless cars, several degrees and titles etc will all become irrelevant to us as we take our last breath.

We all probably at one point or the other have wondered about the essence of life. It’s full of vanity but we get our fulfilment in living for God and God alone, carrying out His righteous purpose and helping humanity, the best way we humbly can.

We came into the world empty and certainly, we will take nothing out. What we do on earth, we will reap in eternity. Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man”. May the Lord help us all, amen.