Live Like Life Is Short
Our legacy isn't just in the big moments, but in the small, intentional acts of connection.
I’ve been in a reflective mood recently, so I’m reading old posts on one of my defunct blogs and came across this post from 2011. The math is way out of date, but I think the premise of the story holds true.
I looked in the mirror Saturday morning, in desperate need of a shave, and wondered when so many of my whiskers turned gray. Probably around the same time I started noticing specks of gray in my hair.
I couldn’t help but think about some letters my dad sent to me in the 1980s that I found recently.
Here’s a portion of one of them (yes, we used typewriters back then):
This letter was dated February 24, 1981, which means it’ll turn 30 this week. That caused me to do some math. My dad would have been 45 when he wrote this letter to me; I would have been 14. I will turn 45 this year, so reading this letter is like reading my life. I beat Dad to the punch regarding bifocals though. I got them a year and half ago.
I’ve never been one to stress over my own mortality. I just notice the subtle changes. My senses have been heightened even more over the past week as I’ve been reading through 1 Chronicles about the descendants of each of the twelve tribes of Israel.
At first glance, the long genealogies might seem like a boring list of hard to pronounce names, but Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron (the four sons of Issachar) were real people with real problems who lived and died. And their children lived and died. And so it went. Seeing the cycle of life firing by in one sentence after the other is yet another indicator that life is short and we should live with that in mind.
Over the weekend, my sister and her family in St. Louis signed up for Skype so we could begin video chatting. She and her husband have two small children and I only get see them in person once a year. Skype to the rescue. I couldn’t believe how much my nephew, who isn’t even one yet, has changed since I saw him in October.
After we finished our chat, I did the math again – when my nephew is 20, I’ll be 65 – one year older than my Dad’s age when he passed away. For me, living life like it is short means finding ways to stay in touch with the people I love. It means leaving records of the previous generations in my family for new generations. It means living intentionally, knowing how quickly 20 years can pass.
These reflections – from graying whiskers to ancient genealogies, from decades-old letters to new technology - all point to a simple truth: our time here is fleeting, but deeply meaningful. Each generation leaves its mark, however small, on the next.
Our legacy isn't just in the big moments, but in the small, intentional acts of connection. Whether it's through handwritten letters, digital conversations, or simply being present, we weave ourselves into the fabric of our family’s story.
And in doing so, we honor those who came before us while leaving breadcrumbs of wisdom for those who will follow. Perhaps that’s the most profound way to live a life that's all too short – by making it resonate long after we're gone.
Check out Lee’s omnibus Finding Common Ground. It’s a three-book collection of heart-felt essays that explore love, loss and the deep need for human connection.
Here are some tidbits you might find interesting this week:
“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” -Psalm 90:12 (ESV)
I spent quite a bit of time behind the wheel over the last two weeks and was reminded how important it is to spend time alone with your thoughts occasionally.
We can all probably relate to this article by Annelise Roberts: Pressure like a drip, drip, drip and turning some of it off.
I mentioned typewriters earlier. Austin Kleon has been conducting interviews with writers via typewriter. How cool is that?
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.” - John Piper
When Lee isn’t writing essays, devotional books, or Christian fiction, he is a freelance editor, as well as a freelance journalist who has written hundreds of articles for various newspapers and magazines. He’s also a fan of NASCAR, baseball, tennis, books, movies and coffee shops.
Life is short. Our family lost a 30 year old this September. Live each day to the fullest!
Thank God for each day.