As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more. – Psalm 103: 15-16
In verse fourteen, the metaphor used for our frame is dust. Here, in verse fifteen, the metaphor for our life is grass. The former refers to our fragility. The latter bespeaks our brevity. The combined bottom line of these two verses is that we are dust that won’t last!
Like the grass our days are seasonal. Like the grass our days are few. Like the grass, at first we flourish and, then, we fade. Like the grass we come and go. Like the grass where we once stood is soon occupied by another and the very place where we stood remembers us no more. What, then, shall we say to these things? How, then, should we live in light of these things?
1. Make sure you are rooted. For, the sun, the wind, the rain, the pests and even the lawn mower threaten your life every day. The deeper you are rooted and firmly planted in the ground (and the Word of God), the more likely you will be able to survive.
2. Understand your life cycle and which season you are in. Grass is grass, but not all grass has the same characteristics and expectations through its whole life. Understanding where you are in your life cycle will cause you to wait patiently for those dimensions of life which should come later. At the same time, it will create a sense of urgency to attain those areas of life which should have already been reached. On the one hand, it reduces your stress. On the other hand, it forces you to stretch.
3. Spread seeds. True enough, you and I are only grass which will not last. However, that does not mean that while we live, we cannot produce seeds which will be planted, grow and live after us. Just because we will pass does not mean that our values, our faith, our resources and our wisdom will pass. It won’t if we produce seeds and plant them with the hopes that they can provide a harvest long after we are no longer on the field.
4. Enjoy and appreciate each and every day. If our days are like grass and are, indeed, numbered, this should give us that much more incentive to appreciate each day as a precious gift from God. Yes, some of them may be filled with trials, trouble, tribulations and tears. But, all of these are mere opportunities for God to give us a triumphant testimony. Let’s us, therefore, learn to celebrate each sunrise, delight in each day and fully live each minute simply because our days are like grass!