Novelist Bret Lott received two life-changing calls on the same day. The first told him that one of his most promising writing students had died unexpectedly from a brain aneurysm. The second call came several hours later from a popular television talk show host telling Lott that she had chosen one of his novels for her monthly on-air book club. It would mean instant celebrity status and financial success. The first call was sobering, the second was exhilarating—and he had to try to balance the two.

Lott, a Christian, took a thick black marker and wrote his student’s name on a white index card and carried it for the next month. “I made a promise to myself,” he said. “I kept the index card in my pocket. It would remind me, ‘Don’t let this [fame] go to your head.’”

The book of James compares our life to “a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (4:14). Instead of becoming enamored by our success today and our plans for tomorrow, we should remember that our time is in God’s hands and each day is a gift from Him.

One day, God will call us to be with Him. Knowing this should give us humility and perspective on every call that comes our way.