When someone passes away young, we find that especially sad because they could have enjoyed many more years. Missing out on those years seems truly tragic. But we should remember that a successful life is not measured in length.
Genesis 5 contains a genealogy of Adam’s descendants. At the time, men regularly lived eight or nine hundred years! But a man named Enoch only walked this earth for 365 years. That sounds like a long time, but wasn’t half of what others lived. Yet Enoch is special in the list, not because of his shortened years—in fact, the short years seemed to be a blessing. The Bible says, “Enoch walked with God, and was not, for God took him.” Enoch’s years were few compared to others, but they were good, for they were spent walking with God. Don’t make length of years your goal. Make walking with God your goal. Then, whether you live only a short time or a very long life, you will have lived the best life.