A child begins life in the womb of his mother and about one hundred years or less later is dead. In that time, there is the self-awareness of existence, the choices that set direction, the formation of relationships, the accumulation of possessions, the recognition of mortality, and the final preparations to die. The Book of Ecclesiastes says it well: “Absolute futility. Everything is futile.” Everything is meaningless.

If death is indeed the end of all that a person is, then truly, everything is meaningless.

What provides meaning to life? Is it only to reproduce to perpetuate the species and then die?  Perhaps the author of Ecclesiastes was onto to something when he said that God has set eternity in the human heart.

Young adults often feel that they have a long life ahead of them and they are impatient to enjoy all the good things life has to offer. Thoughts of preparing for retirement in 30 or 40 years are pushed out of the way by the desire to live life now, with little thought of preparing for later years.

The mid-life crisis hits when there is the awareness that time is starting to run out and that there are things to do before it’s no longer possible. As health and abilities decline, it becomes obvious that our bodies are not going to live forever.

The Psalmist said, “As for man, his days are like grass— he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over it, it vanishes, and its place is no longer known.”

Consider that your life on this planet is an audition. People who try out for a place in a drama or movie attend an audition. It’s a time to see if the individual has the qualities required to get the part. If life is an audition, then this life is not the main event! There is something much bigger to come.

This life, no matter how long, is a test. Those who recognize their sinful nature and seek God’s forgiveness through Christ alone are given righteousness that qualifies them to be one of God’s chosen people. Those who reject God, who worship other gods, who choose to live life by their own rules, who reinterpret the Bible to fit their ungodly life choices will be rejected by God. He makes the rules, and His Word is final.

While you are alive, you are in the audition. It’s how you finish the audition that counts. You can make all kinds of mistakes but as long as you make the right choice before your life ends, you will receive eternal life. Failure to submit to God and to be reconciled to Him will mean eternal separation and death.

Following the audition is the main event. For the child of God, the main event is eternal life with God in new immortal bodies on a new earth. Christ who rose from the grave demonstrated a glimpse of what the new body is like. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

But as it is written,