We live
in a society that’s overrun with warning labels. From disclaimers on pills, to
“use-by” dates on soup cans, to danger signs on chain saws—warning labels draw
our attention to impending hazards. Recently I received a box with a precious
gift inside. The sender had attached a big red sticker to the package that
said, fragile: handle with care. When I think about life and its fragility, I
wonder if we shouldn’t all wear one of those red stickers.
It’s not
a good idea to cruise through life thinking that we are invincible and that
everything is going to be just fine—only to discover that we are far more
fragile than we thought. It takes only a call from the doctor telling us that
we have a life-threatening disease, or the swerve of a careless driver in front
of us to remind us that life is extremely uncertain. There are no guarantees!
None of us can be certain of another breath. So the psalmist has an important
piece of advice . . . a warning label of sorts: “Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12).
Let’s
choose to live as though this were our last moment on earth by loving more
deeply, forgiving more readily, giving more generously, and speaking more
kindly.
That’s
how to handle life with care.
Yesterday
is gone; tomorrow is uncertain; today is here. Use it wisely. (RBC)
