TIME: Out On A Limb

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
- Jame 4:13-14

“You should go stand out on that tree and I’ll take your picture,” Wendy said in jest. She fully believed I was past my prime and unable to complete the task. Time has ticked on, but in my mind, I’m still an athletic and capable man. Walking across a tree fallen over a river is no problem.

“Fine. I’ll do it.” With that response, I was off. Down the hill, up on the tree and edging my way across the river to prove her wrong. It was a challenge. I’m not about to back down from a challenge. Game on. Me on a tree. A tree that moves?!

The further I walked out onto the tree, the more it bounced under my weight. I came to the point where I felt I was far enough out to prove my point (mainly because the tree was moving so much I couldn’t go any further), so I paused and tried to stand up straight for Wendy to take the picture. Taking my eyes off the tree was a disastrous mistake.

I lost my balance. Fell onto the tree with a broken branch cutting through my pants and digging into my own leg. Then gravity took over in full force. I slowly rolled down the side of the tree till I dropped back-first into the freezing river below. A river, by the way, that was only about six inches deep and filled with boulders. A few broken ribs and bruises later, I was climbing out of the river in humiliation.

To make matters worse, Wendy was recording the whole thing. While she does lovingly say, “Oh, no!” The video makes it obvious it was said through a laugh! And the presentation I had to give the next day was the most painful speech I have ever given.

Time is deceptive. On the one hand it seems to fly. On the other other it drags on forever. And no matter what we think of ourselves, we rarely have a proper perspective of our position in it. As our verse today says, we are simply a “vapor” that plans grand schemes.

As Seneca says in his treatise On the Shortness of Life, “Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested.” I agree with the quote not because we have plenty of time to do great things, but because we are all provided ample time to become who God created us to be, if we invest our time well.

The reality is God doesn’t need you to accomplish anything. As Acts 17:25 states, “Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.”

God doesn’t need you to accomplish His plans on this earth. He does want you to join Him in what He is doing on this earth. Not because He needs help. Rather, by joining Him in the work He is doing, we discover who He created us to be.

We often inflate our sense of importance and find ourselves out on a branch alone, bouncing and dropped on our backside trying to prove our worth. Yet, God doesn’t want us out on a branch alone to prove anything, In fact, John 15:4 tells us, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”

Jesus is not looking for you prove yourself or accomplish great works in His name. You can’t! And every effort to try will end up with you bruised and broken in the attempt. He is simply calling you to abide in Him. Join Him in what He is doing. Allow His life to speak and work through you. Understanding that; Seneca is indeed right when he says, “Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested.”

Invest your time towards abiding in Christ. There is no higher achievement on earth we can aspire to than becoming who He created us to be. That is not found standing out on a limb to impress the people around you. It is only found in an abiding relationship with Jesus Christ.

© 2026 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.