The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon.

“Certainly all mankind standing is a mere breath. Certainly every person walks around as a fleeting shadow; they certainly make an uproar for nothing; he amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.”

—Psalm 39:5–6

It’s good to remember that we often “make an uproar for nothing.” We are here but for a moment . . . a mere breath and fleeting shadow.

Our turmoil is unnecessary and unhelpful. We spend most of our time here on this earth in an uproar about what we’re building for this temporary life even though it’s like the snap of a finger compared to the eternity to come.

There is nothing worth building or gaining or achieving here on this earth more important than the things that will impact eternity—following the Lord’s commands (1 Corinthians 7:19), living out the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), doing the good works he placed us here to do (Ephesians 2:10), doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God (Micah 6:8).

Those are the unseen things that are eternal. Our aim should be to focus on them rather than on the visible, temporary things (2 Corinthians 4:18) that can be destroyed by moths and rust and thieves (Matthew 6:19).

May we constantly be evaluating what we make an uproar over and what we seek to amass. Is it something temporary or something that is going to last forever? What will those things be worth in the end?

There is nothing we can store in barns—or banks or houses—worth the uproar in our hearts.

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