Finding Purpose in a Finite Life: The Expiration Date Perspective
This mortal life is finite.
On my drive to work this morning, it dawned on me that all of our lives have an expiration date. A “best if used by” date, if you prefer. Most of us have little to no idea when that date will be. Some have been issued a date by a physician as a result of a terminal illness. Others on death row may have been assigned a date of execution.
But for most of us, that exact date remains an unknown mystery. That’s not really the point of this story. The point of this writing is to explore our best use of the limited precious time we have left. Generally speaking, I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe in divine purpose and alignment according to God’s perfect Will.
Following the meditation on this expiration date philosophy on the way, I arrived at the office and noticed an email from a fellow Medium reader/writer who had commented on one of my stories with a link to his own ponderings on a similar subject. link here, so I perceived it as confirmation.
What I don’t want to do here is repeat the same story or listicle you’ve already undoubtedly read plenty of times. And, truth be told, each individual’s list of priorities should be unique to them. This may not be a new question to ask yourself, but when you imagine laying on your “death bed” (assuming it is not a sudden, unexpected demise and that you have enough mental clarity to answer this question) which activities will be the ones you wish you had invested more time doing? Conversely, which time-wasters could you potentially regret?
Moving Beyond the Scroll
Social media is not all bad. Certainly there is value in connecting with people, especially when the conversations or saved memories are particularly meaningful or useful for tracking important dates. But let’s be honest. I seriously doubt I will wish I had spent more time scrolling through social media at the end of my time here.
Time spent with the people I love and the people my spirit is led to comfort ranks high on my list of greatest priorities. Daily conversations with God tops my list.
Faith and the Journey to Sobriety
Amazing Grace
I was blind, but now I see…
Although I was introduced to faith in God as a young child (1970s), and experienced an unforgettably intimate moment (1995) with Jesus while pregnant with my son listening to a gifted cassette of baby lullabies, the year (2017) I got sober my spiritual eyes were opened in ways like never before. One year later I made some major (rock your world) life-altering decisions.
Grace in Marriage and Redemption
Regarding marriage goals, Ephesians 5 and 1 Corinthians 13 come to mind. A fellow faithful writer Sienna Krieg recently wrote about some of this here, echoing some of my own thoughts on the subject.
Essentially living Ephesians 5 (ALL of it) out in my marriage became of utmost importance to me. Although I had studied about the hope of winning my unbelieving husband over without words in 1 Peter 3 and had also learned about the possibility of an unequally yoked spouse being sanctified in 1 Corinthians 7:14 as well as reading about the fact that God hates divorce in Malachi 2:16 a part of me felt like I was dying inside one day at a time, because I could only experience part of Ephesians 5 instead of the whole chapter as God’s design for marriage explained.
Thank God, my Higher Power is God of forgiveness, faithfulness, agape love, and redemption. Through my wilderness wandering alone with only Jesus by my side through the world lockdown (2020) I was quietly led into a humble Ephesians 5, 4:2, 2:4, 3:20–21 marriage this time.
God is amazing. He proves that fact to me over and over again with each new sunrise, sunset, and deep breath I am able to take in one moment at a time. Additionally, my gift to you the reader is letting you in on this little secret (you may or may not have already discovered for yourself) The entire Bible is God’s LOVE story to us [believers] His eternal bride. Thank you Kevin Bettany for reminding me of this vital fact through your poignant marriage testimony shared below in the comments.
Conclusion:
Ultimately, our time here is a gift, not a guarantee. By realigning our daily habits with our eternal values — choosing connection over consumption and faith over distraction — we begin to live not just for the moment, but for the legacy of love and purpose we leave behind. Let your remaining days be defined not by what you accumulated, but by how deeply you loved and how faithfully you walked your path.
Journal Questions:
If your life is a story with a finite number of pages, what is the central theme you want to emphasize in the chapter you are writing today?
What is one “time-waster” you can commit to trading for a meaningful interaction this week?
How does your faith or spiritual practice shape the way you view your daily priorities?
In what ways have you experienced grace or redemption during your most difficult seasons?
When you imagine looking back on your life, what single act of kindness or connection do you hope remains in the memory of those you love?
© 2026 Nora Gwen
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