The expression ‘flash in the pan’, does not originate with those panning for gold, though they used it to express their disappointment when they thought they had found something precious, only to discover it was nothing more than a rock. A cook whose bacon has caught on fire on a Saturday morning, might also use this expression, but it has a literal meaning and origin. This dates to the 17th century when the weapon at the time was the flintlock musket, which had a small pan for gunpowder on one side and then loaded with a round led ball. If the gunpowder would flare up, and ignite, but the ‘projectile did not expel’, they would say it was a ‘flash in the pan’, aka a failure, or a dud. The true meaning therefore of ‘a flash in the pan’ is said to be, “Something which disappoints by failing to deliver anything of value, despite a showy beginning.” I have personally always used this expression mainly to denote something that may be ‘here today and gone tomorrow’, or something that happened so quickly you might have missed it if you were not paying attention.
Our family lived in Indiana for over nineteen years pastoring a church, working, and raising a family. We had four daughters, and several animals over the years, including a cat that was brought home, snuck in by my husband in his jacket, zipped up nice and tight and well hidden. He said that he had brought home a surprise. He had gotten a free kitten! However, long story short, that kitten was not free! When we took it to the vet it had ear mites, all kinds of goobers and gadgets, you name it, and it had to be declawed, because of course, we were going to be keeping it in the house with small children. So, it was not free, and I am not an animal person, but we had that cat, who we called ‘Magnum’, for a very long time. Low and behold, if we did not have another cat crawl under the house and have kittens a few years later! Goodness gracious! Well, I am telling you all this to say, I have since found out that I was allergic to that cat. I lived off Benadryl for many of those years because of this. At the time there were no ‘non-drowsy’ medicines. Therefore, I lived in quite a stupor, as anyone who has ever had to take Benadryl can attest to. Many of my memories from that time are very hazy and fuzzy. I acknowledge that I have a very bad memory, which may or may not have been contributed to, by this time in my life. There are many things that my husband and children can remember that I cannot. Maybe is just due to their exceptional memories. Some may say don’t worry, those nineteen years were just a ‘flash in the pan’. Either way, life is very short, and we must endeavor to the best of our abilities to make the most of it. Cherish every stage of life with your children, your spouse, friends and loved ones, because there will come a day when it comes to an end for each of us.
In more recent years we had my mother staying with us for a seven year period, until she passed away in 2021. She had macular degeneration and could not see well. As the years went on, she had some transient ischemic attacks (TIA’s) which are like mini strokes, and then a couple of more severe strokes in her last few years. Her health began to decline and go downhill steadily thereafter, and she was not able to do much. Not only could she not see, but she had lost confidence to try anything. She was nervous about messing things up, like crocheting for instance, though in her life time she was a master at it. Though we encouraged her and tried to keep her engaged in activities, she would become depressed and quiet, as happens to many elderly people. However, during the first few years with us, what she really thrived on were her memories. We would sit on the front porch and talk about things that had happened in her life. A favorite subject of course was my dad, who had passed away in 2013, and she enjoyed reminiscing about him. But the sad thing to me was as time went by, the onset of dementia that she had had when she moved in, began to worsen. Some of those memories disappeared completely, or they began to be jumbled up in her mind. For example, she began to say she had had five husbands, getting the story in the bible of the woman at the well, mixed up with her own life. Items that she would pass by day after day, including her toothbrush and washcloth became unrecognizable to her and of no significance, as Alzheimer’s began to take over. There were a lot of funny moments, but mostly it was just sad to see how the human condition is so fragile. Memories are a ‘flash in the pan’ as we would say, fleeting, however, they are not a failure, but very significant. We should not take our lives or our memories lightly or for granted. We must hold them dear. I hope and trust God will grant me soundness of mind, until I pass away, as we all do.
We do not have that guarantee nor are we promised that we will have tomorrow much less with health of body and/or mind. We are only promised today and the here and now. James 4:13-15 asks us in contemplation, “Go to now, ye that say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:’ Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” All our planning will assist us during the time we have left on earth, but it will not buy us more time. Psalm 90:10 states, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” Jesus tells us what we should do, in Matthew 6:33-34, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Every day beyond today, and every year beyond seventy years is a gift, not a guarantee.
I am a very fond proponent of the four seasons. I think variety is the spice of life and I always enjoyed living in Indiana because they had definitive winter, spring, summer, and fall seasons. With each season, you can see new things around you. For instance, the changing of the tree leaves, or the snowy, frozen tundra. Although each season comes with its pros and cons. The leaves come with much raking, and the snow comes with much shoveling. Now that we have moved to the South, though warmer in general, in the fall there are just as many leaves to rake, but hardly any snow. In Tennessee the changing of the leaves, depending on the weather that year, are not quite as bright, vibrant, and colorful as in the north, but I still enjoy the seasons. One of my favorite things about summer is the fireflies. I have always been very fascinated with them. I remember, here comes one of my memories that I still hold on to, believe it or not. I was about six years old at the time, living in Durban, South Africa. We lived in a beautiful old house that I loved dearly. We lived there for about four or five years. That house had a wonderful, huge front and backyard. The backyard was filled with fruit trees of all sorts, there were monkeys that would hang out back there, literally, lol. In the front yard were these massive shade trees filled with the most beautiful orange blossoms most of the year, and best of all there were scads and scads of fireflies! Many people call them lightning bugs. We would go down one side and up the other of the front sloped yard with our jars catching the lightening bugs. Of course, until they had no more oxygen and they died. Depending on the species, fireflies live anywhere from two weeks to two months, however, at that moment their life was fleeting and would only last as long as the air they were allotted by a pig-tailed little girl. Their hours and days were numbered. But what a blast we had.
However, not only are the fireflies’ life short individually, but their season for shining is even shorter. Most of their lives are spent in the larvae stage, in preparation for the big reveal. Then they live only long enough to mate and flicker around a little. However, this is what makes them so special and something to look forward to every year, just like the flowers in spring shoot up out of what looks to be barren and abandoned soil. Though their lights and lives are considered only a ‘flash in the pan’, they are ‘here today and gone tomorrow’, they bring great joy to many while they shine. We must live our lives deliberately and with purpose while it is our time to shine. We must make every day count.
The Bible says that life is but a vapor as we read in James chapter 4. To give an example, vapor is like fog. It is with us only for a short time and only in certain conditions, and then it is gone. We may see fog in the mornings on the roadways that were hot, then rained on, or over ponds, or in mountainous areas, such as the Smokies, thus the name, however, when the sun comes out and conditions change, the fog dissipates. Sure, school may be delayed for a few hours because the bus drivers would not be able to see clearly, but even before the appointed bus arrival time, the fog is gone. This is done for the safety of the children, even though they know the fog will not linger. Life itself and everything in it is this way. It comes and then passes, however, the great thing about this is, that our trials do not linger either. 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Savor the good and do not become defeated or feel that you are doomed for life or a failure and a dud, in the bad times, because they will also fade away. Though taking care of my mother did last for years, this too has passed, and with it the good times and the bad.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-4 tells us, “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abides forever.” We have jobs, but do we take the time to enjoy the fruit of our labor? We have children, they are cuddly babies for a short time then they are crawling, walking, talking, sassy and out the door, but do we take time to enjoy them and build a bond with them or will this be considered a true ‘flash in the pan’? Take the time to cultivate a relationship with them, because you will become less significant as the days go by. They become inquisitive about the world and will want to go and explore it. This is normal. They will one day not even want to hug or kiss you goodbye at school or be seen with you. Separation begins at birth, but this too is normal. Because life is so fleeting, we should not put the burden or stress upon our children or others, to be what we want them to be. They should be allowed to express themselves in their likes and dislikes. For example, just because you were a football player or wanted to be, and couldn’t be, does not mean your son should be. He may want to be or may not want to be, he may have the aptitude, or he may not have the aptitude. We must learn to let go of things we do not have control over. Give them to the Lord and let them live their lives. We do not have a second chance and cannot live vicariously through others. Our children are not selfish, they are just of a different time and generation. We have one chance, at this ‘flash in the pan’ life, so we must do it the best we know how. They will soon be the ones taking care of us. We will be sitting in our chairs with only a smattering of memories to keep us company, we must make sure the things we do in life are worth remembering. Generations come and go, but the earth abides forever. Life is here today and gone tomorrow.
God has a way of allowing us to let go of the bad if we would allow him to. For instance, when we as mothers give birth to a baby, why do we have more than one child, and put ourselves through all that pain and anguish again? The pain is replaced with joy. The anxiety of the birthing experience has been traded for excitement, and the thrill of having that bundle of joy in our arms. The pain is very quickly forgotten, and this is how it’s meant to be. Mercy allows us to move forward if we will. Isaiah 61:1-3 prophecies of Jesus coming into our world and the purpose, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”
All of creation has been formed with cycles; the water cycle for instance goes a little like this, the rain falls as precipitation, some absorbs into the earth, some into lakes and oceans, then it evaporates in the atmosphere again forming clouds, then the rain falls again. Flowers grow for a season, they are pruned down, they lay dormant in the winter, and everything is seemingly naked, brown, barren, and dead, only to pop back up again in the spring, bringing a fresh new life and green world. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Daffodils, tulips, and roses appearing from year to year bring us hope and show us the faithfulness of God and His great blessing upon us. Lamentations 3:22-23 assures us, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
One of the last memories with my mother was a bitter sweet time when my brother had come to visit for the last time. Though mom had lost her memory, she never lost her faith, however, though she had preached the gospel for over sixty years, she had forgotten all she had known and was losing hope. During that visit, by some miraculous intervention of the Lord, she had a very short, fleeting moment of clarity. She told my brother and I she did not want to die, because she was unsure what was going to happen to her. My brother prayed with her, and told her, “Mom, this is what you have been working towards and waiting for all your life. You are about to cross over the Jordan river and take the hand of Jesus, who is waiting for you on the other side. There is nothing to be afraid of.” Though she went back to her silly, dementia and Alzheimer self after that, everything was okay. She was at peace. God had given her assurance, and she passed away a few days after that. That was a ‘flash in the pan’ moment, as her life of eighty-three years was, but not a failure, not a dud, just fleeting.
Through all our ups and downs of life, we have hope that our tomorrows will be better than our yesterdays. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” We have the promise of everlasting life which, by definition, will never end, if we set our affections on things above as Colossians instructs. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 says, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so, shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” This life is a ‘flash in the pan’, fleeting if you will, but not a failure and not a dud. 1 Corinthians 15:52 says, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” I am looking forward to that ‘flash in the pan’ moment! How about you?