8 Seconds

Every weekend, somewhere in America, there are a group of men who gather together and compete in one of the craziest sports that has ever been invented.  The call themselves “bull riders”.  Has there ever been anything more insane than one day deciding “Hey, I know what I’ll do!  I’ll climb on the back of a 1,500 lb. angry animal and see if I can ride it?”  If you aren’t familiar with the sport, click on the video and let Justin McBride show you how it's done!

The PBR (Professional Bull Rider) cowboys travel every weekend, criss-crossing the country to get to the next event.  Their primary goal is to stay on the bull’s back for 8 seconds.  Bulls with names such as Voodoo Child, Uncle Buck and Code Blue.  If you ever meet one of these gentlemen, you will find that there is one thing they all have in common; they live life wide-open.  They live for 8 seconds.

James must have had the same mindset as a bull riding cowboy.  In James chapter 4, he refers to our lives as a mist that appears for a little while, and then vanishes.  James was fully aware that in the grand scheme of things (God’s time table) we are only here for a brief moment.  The King James Version of scripture compares our life as a vapor.  Have you ever taken a breath outdoors on a cold winter day?  You’ll see your breath for a split second, and then it is gone.

Why would James write something like this for us to consider?  In chapter 4:13-17, he is basically saying to others “you make all of these plans to go here and do this or that but never take into account what God’s will may be.”  He even goes further to state in verse 17 “Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.”

So many of us live our life as if we are going to live on this earth forever.  Our main focus in life is getting enough money to do this or that, to live here or there, to become this or that.  We even make all kinds of plans for retirement when James is saying “WAKE UP PEOPLE!  You might not even be here tomorrow!”

We have a short window of opportunity to make a difference for God.  We have only a hand full of sand in the hourglass to do something on behalf of His kingdom.  We are only on the bull for 8 seconds.

Start today!  Stop thinking down here, and start thinking up there.  Quit worrying about the small stuff and get busy living for Christ.