Weavers' Shuttle

When words are used to paint pictures in our minds, they have the power to leave an impression that can make us reflect. The Bible, which is full of such images, uses them in certain places to show us the fragility of human life and the need to use our time to do what we must in the time we have left. Sometimes it speaks of life as a vapor (or mist) that appears for a little while and then vanishes (James 4:14). Other times, like a flower that sprouts and withers, or a shadow that flees and does not remain (Job 14:2). Each of the literary figures the Bible uses to speak of human life after the Fall is intended to break the natural inclination to cling so tightly to life that it leads us to believe that our time on Earth will never end and that our loved ones will be with us forever. However, how deep is the pain felt when what we consider permanent is snatched away from us in the blink of an eye! Death is a universal reality, even for believers. For this reason, the most important goal is not to deny death or ignore its reality, but to face it with a blessed hope that moves us to live remembering our temporality and the importance of every hour and every day of life that the Lord gives us.

About the author
Robert Purnell (d. 1666)

He was a 17th-century Particular Baptist minister who served as pastor of a Baptist congregation in the city of Bristol, England. Although his birth date is unknown, we know that he died in 1666. During his ministry, he wrote several books that, for the most part, had a pastoral focus and aimed to reach not only the reader's mind but also their heart. In his works, one can perceive his effort to teach unbelievers the way of salvation and to help Christians in their spiritual pilgrimage.