12 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”; 2 before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; 3 in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through [a]windows grow dim; 4 and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters of song will [b]sing softly. 5 Furthermore, [c]men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street. 6 Remember Him before the silver cord is [d]broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; 7 then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the [e]spirit will return to God who gave it. 8 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”
Well, that’s depressing… And so it should be, as Solomon describes the life lived void of God’s presence. For in the end, “the dust will return to the earth…” and without the hope of anything more, a long life is pretty empty. The picture of the grasshopper dragging himself along is quite apt. But this is not the end, or at least it shouldn’t be.
So Solomon tells us to remember our Creator while we are still young, don’t waste the days away in idle pursuits. “Remember Him…”, not just before the silver and gold perish, but make the most of every day. Let God fill you with his strength, when you don’t have enough of your own, and even when you think you do.
When we think we can do it on our own, hold up, and grab God’s hand instead. Let Him help you do it better and stronger than you thought was possible. Don’t be afraid of the unknown, for nothing is unknown to God. He knows the road ahead, and will guide you, if you give up the driver’s seat and let Him in.
Once more, don’t try to go it alone. Maybe when you’re older it’s easier, but us young whipper-snappers like to do it ourselves. God didn’t build us for that, He built us for the more that can be accomplished when we rely on others, and on Him. Embrace it, and live life the way He meant it to be.