SEVEN POUNDS OF DUST
It was one of the most profound moments of my life. A few weeks after Linda passed, my daughter and I picked up Linda’s remains at the mortuary. After arriving home, I stared at the box and absorbed this surreal moment. Then reality hit me like a sledgehammer. I knew the real Linda wasn’t there, but all that remained of her body—her physical life—was contained in that box. Twenty-eight years as a business owner. Fifty years as a wife. Sixty-eight years as a human. And it all came down to seven pounds of dust. All her energy and toil; her good days and bad days; her joys and sorrows; all the matters of earth she loved and hated, ended up in a box containing seven pounds of dust.
Is that all there is? We pour so much time and energy into worldly concerns, we fuss and fret over our physical appearance, often without considering we’re only seven pounds of dust. Americans spend $212 billion dollars annually on beauty products and $828 billion on fitness. Please don’t misunderstand. Those are good things. God gave us our bodies, and he wants us to care for them. I’m just reminding us of where we’re headed. Perhaps we should step back and put our seven pounds of dust in perspective.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 declares, “The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” Likewise, Psalm 90:3 states, “You turn people back to dust.” Seven pounds to be exact.
I don’t want to appear morbid. In fact, I wrestled with whether to write this devotion for that reason. But it was so profound as I stared at that box, reminding me of why I’m here on this planet. Not to gratify my senses; not to fulfill my flesh—but to serve God. Hopefully, I’ll remember that when I’m tempted to obsess over my activities in this world, whether my appearance, finances, or hobbies.
We were made for more than this life. We were created for eternity (Revelation 22:5). When we grasp that truth—grasp it deep inside—it transforms our thinking. We understand how critical it is to invest our lives in things that last. Enjoy life now. In fact, that was the theme of last week’s Bullet. But as we engage in temporal matters, keep our focus on what endures. Because everything else is simply seven pounds of dust.
Principle: Nothing in this world endures. We were created for eternity.
Ponder:
What moments in life have you had which helped you put life in perspective?
What helps remind you of the truth that everything physical in life ends up as seven pounds of dust?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Ecclesiastes 12.
Prayer: Lord of Life, thank you for the reminder that nothing in this life endures. Help me keep everything in this world in perspective, understanding that I was created for eternity.