There is a truth we often avoid because it is uncomfortable to think about: one day, every one of us will leave this world.
No matter how much money we make, how beautiful our house is, how expensive our car is, how popular we become or how powerful our position may be, none of us will live here forever.
Yet, every day, people wake up and enter a race they may never finish.
We chase money.
We chase houses.
We chase cars.
We chase political positions.
We chase fame.
We chase social media recognition.
We struggle to prove that we are successful, sometimes forgetting that life itself is temporary.
The Bible puts it powerfully in James 4:14:
“For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
Think about that.
A person’s entire life, with all its struggles, achievements, celebrations and disappointments, is described as a vapour—something that appears for a short time and disappears.
We Are All Passing Through
Across Nigeria and Africa, we often measure success by what a person has.
A new house attracts attention.
A new car generates admiration.
A successful business earns respect.
Expensive clothes create impressions.
Money can make people suddenly treat someone differently.
But sometimes, behind the beautiful pictures and impressive lifestyles is a human being silently struggling to keep everything together.
We see the photographs, but we don’t always see the tears.
We see the new house, but we don’t see the years of sacrifice.
We see the expensive car, but we don’t see the anxiety.
We see the social media lifestyle, but we don’t know what happens when the camera is turned off.
And sadly, some people spend their entire lives trying to prove something to people who may not even care.
One Day, Everything Will Be Left Behind
Imagine working for decades to build a magnificent house, only to leave it behind one day.
Imagine spending your entire life accumulating wealth, only for another person to eventually inherit it.
Imagine spending years chasing a political position, only to discover that your time in office eventually comes to an end.
Imagine buying everything money can buy, yet discovering that money cannot purchase another breath when your time comes.
This is not to say that money, houses, cars or success are bad.
They are not.
The problem begins when these things become more important to us than our character, our families, our relationships, our purpose and our relationship with God.
The Rich and the Poor Have One Thing in Common
One of the greatest realities of life is that death does not respect social class.
The rich man and the poor man both have an appointed time.
The powerful and the powerless eventually leave this earth.
The person living in a mansion and the person living in a small room both have the same fragile human life.
The celebrity and the ordinary person are both temporary inhabitants of this world.
Money may create differences in how people live, but it cannot make anyone immortal.
That should humble us.
Don’t Lose Your Family While Chasing Wealth
There are people who spend their entire lives trying to provide a better future for their families, only to become strangers to the very people they were working for.
A father may spend years chasing money but have little time for his children.
A mother may become consumed by survival and barely have time to enjoy her family.
Husbands and wives can become so focused on material success that they forget to love, communicate and build their homes.
Then one day, the children are grown, the years have passed and the opportunity to create certain memories is gone forever.
Money is important, but time is priceless.
You can make more money.
You can buy another car.
You can build another house.
But you cannot buy back yesterday.
Stop Living Only to Impress People
Africa has a strong culture of community, family and social recognition. Sometimes, however, the desire to impress others can become a dangerous burden.
We buy things we cannot comfortably afford because we want people to think we are successful.
We borrow money to maintain an appearance.
We compete with friends and neighbours.
We compare our lives with people on social media.
We become unhappy because somebody else appears to be doing better.
But remember this:
You do not have to destroy your peace trying to prove that you are successful.
The person you are trying so hard to impress may be fighting battles you know nothing about.
Live within your means.
Build your life gradually.
Take care of your family.
Do good.
Be content.
And most importantly, don’t allow material possessions to become your identity.
What Will People Remember About You?
When your name is eventually mentioned after you are gone, what will people say?
Will they remember your kindness?
Will they remember that you helped people when they were struggling?
Will your children remember you as a loving parent?
Will your friends remember your loyalty?
Will your community remember your contribution?
Or will your entire story simply be about the money you accumulated and the possessions you left behind?
Your greatest legacy may not be the things you leave in a house, but the values you leave in people’s hearts.
Life Is Too Short for Hatred and Pride
We spend too much time fighting.
Families separate over money and property.
Friends become enemies because of jealousy.
Siblings fight over inheritance.
People refuse to forgive each other for years.
Some relationships end because of pride.
But life is too short.
One day, the person you refuse to speak to may no longer be here.
One day, you may wish you had apologised.
One day, you may wish you had spent more time with your parents.
One day, you may wish you had told someone, “I love you.”
Don’t wait until the funeral before you realise how precious someone was.
You Are Only Passing Through
Whether you are in Lagos, Abuja, Accra, Nairobi, Johannesburg, Kampala, London, Brussels or anywhere else in the world, remember this:
You are only passing through.
Build your career.
Build your business.
Build your house.
Take care of your family.
Dream big.
Become successful.
But don’t forget that these things are temporary.
The car will eventually become old.
The house will eventually belong to someone else.
The money will eventually be spent.
The position will eventually be occupied by another person.
The photographs will eventually fade.
And one day, your journey on earth will come to an end.
So while you are still here, live meaningfully.
Love people.
Forgive quickly.
Help the poor.
Respect your parents.
Raise your children well.
Be honest.
Serve your community.
Use your success to make someone else’s life better.
And never allow the temporary things of this world to make you forget the eternal things that truly matter.
A Final Thought
The world may teach us to chase everything we can see.
But wisdom teaches us to prepare for what comes after what we can see.
Life in this world is temporary and full of vanity.
So don’t spend your entire life collecting things you cannot take with you while neglecting the things that make life truly worth living.
You came into this world with nothing.
You will leave with nothing.
The question is: what will you do with the time in between?
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