OK, time is short: How to use it for the most satisfying life

With age 71 just ahead, I’m running after time like Forrest Gump chasing that pickup.

According to the chart below, time’s not exactly on my side, even if I make it to 90.

So the real question is: how can I use the time I have left to live the most satisfying life?

1. Be mindful of brevity

Philosopher Sam Harris said, “No matter how many times you do something, there will come a day when you do it for the last time.”

There’s a last time you…

• hear your parents’ voices on the phone
• say “I love you” to a family member
• wave goodbye in the driveway

Round clocks throw an illusion that time goes round in circles.

But as each year closes or another milestone birthday arrives, we’re reminded that time moves forward, not round.

It’s a journey with a…

• beginning
• middle
• end

At 71, I realize my time with the most important people in my life is limited.

So, I want to place my energy where it creates meaning, connection, and joy, not just motion.

“We are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it.” Seneca

Life’s brevity isn’t meant to alarm us, it’s meant to awaken us.

2. Discard disappointments

So, as I prepare for the trip of my final years, I’m thinking about what to take and what to leave behind.

I’m taking the time to make sure that in my family and personal relationships, no one feels unheard, misunderstood, or left out.

Anger and grudges are dead weight. They drag us, and those we love, down.

Why cling to old hurts when God calls us to travel light?

Even Jesus told His followers to shake the dust from their feet and keep walking in faith.

The lighter our hearts, the farther our souls can travel.

3. Embrace forgiveness

I’ve learned that nothing is 100% the fault of any one person.

It only takes one to walk away, but it takes two to choose love and forgiveness.

Ask God for grace in any complicated relationship every day.

Accept God’s forgiveness in your own life, and let it overflow to others.

Forgiveness frees us to move forward with peace instead of pain.

4. Cling to peace

You’ll never be at peace with others until you are at peace with yourself.

Everyone at war with themselves is at war with everyone else.

“Live in peace with each other. Encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you…” 1 Thessalonians 5 selected verses

Living by a code of “eye for eye” and “tooth for tooth” leads to a sightless, toothless world.

Why destroy yourself, much less everyone around you?

Peace is possible when we pack the most essential item for the journey: a heart centered in God’s love.

Peace doesn’t just happen—it’s chosen, protected, and practiced daily.

5. The essential friend

God is the one friend who brings strength in life’s disappointments.

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

God is the foundation for enjoyment in all of our time.

“…for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness…” Ecclesiastes 2:25-26

The Apostle Paul, an eyewitness to the risen Jesus, knew this firsthand.

Despite his many hardships, he wrote:

“At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength… and I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever.” 2 Timothy 4, selected verses

Open the door of your heart to the God who doesn’t just love all of us. He loves each one of us.

• He will never leave you.
• He will always stand by your side.

When we live with that assurance, time itself becomes sacred, not something to fear, but something to fill with purpose.