You Are a Puff of Smoke: Dust in the Wind

“You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears” ~James 4:14b

You Are a Puff of Smoke

Do you get that warm fuzzy feeling when Scripture compares you to things like dust, dirt, or a puff of a smoke? No? Me neither. It doesn’t make me feel good, but, of course that’s the point. Not all Scripture is going to make you feel good because the Christian life is not centered around you; it’s centered around Jesus. Verses like this one in the book of James speak to us in a non-negative way. Don’t let that double negative confuse you. James doesn’t want us to be down on ourselves, he wants us to have the right perspective on our life and our place in the Kingdom of God. These two dynamics are separate yet utterly connected. First, James tells us in verse 14, you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow. This means we shouldn’t be presumptive in such a way as to put or plans before God’s. This leads to the second point: “Instead you should say, “If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that” (15). Any other way of thinking is arrogance (16). James reminds us we are a vassal in God’s kingdom not a neighboring lord. This is the theme of chapter 4, not esteem ourselves, rather, to humble ourselves before God (10). I know I need reminding that I am “a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.”

Always improve the present moment.