I hit a milestone this past Saturday: I turned 70 years old. In my book, that’s officially old. Although I don’t feel old and do my best to stay active and involved, the truth is, that I have less life to live than I’ve already lived. If I make it to 90 (my mama is 89, still lives by herself in the home she and Daddy built, and goes wherever she wants), I may have 20 years left.

Looking back, I reflect on where the years have gone. There were the days of fun and innocence I experienced growing up in the country, surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins up and down the road. Then I was off to college, marriage, career work and raising two daughters, mostly as a single parent. There were days of great loss as I walked through the pain of two marriages ending. One husband committed suicide due to mental illness. The other committed adultery due to narcissism. Now as I stand here looking toward the end of this earthly existence, the question arises, When it’s all said and done, what have I accomplished that really counts? Is my life just a vapor in the wind? Or is there something more than a temporary existence on the ball spinning around the sun?

This is not a new question. The quest for the meaning of life has been asked for centuries. King Solomon grappled with this issue when he said, “Vanity of vanities. All is vanity.” “Whatever my eyes desired, I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure” (Ecc.). Although he had it all, he struggled with life’s emptiness. The richest man who ever lived saw firsthand that “stuff” doesn’t satisfy. It reminds me of poor, old Mick Jagger wailing out, “I can’t get no satisfaction.” In my day, two songs have stuck with me through the years that address this question. In 1969, Peggy Lee had a hit with “Is that all there is?” The song’s conclusion is that, no matter what occurs in life, good or bad, something is always missing. If this is all there is, “then let’s keep dancing. Let’s bring out the booze and have a ball.” In other words, you better get it now, while you can, because this is as good as it gets. When life ends, there’s nothing else.

“What’s it all about, Alfie?” is the second song embedded in my memory. It questions what makes life significant and worth living. “Is it just for the moment we live?” it asks. Are we to live for immediate gratification, or is there something much more to be found in life’s journey?

Thankfully, because I know Truth, I know “what’s it all about.” No, what I currently experience is not all there is. My biblical worldview tells me life on Planet Earth is simply the prelude for eternity. Because Christ has given me the gift of eternal life, I have access to abundant life in this present world. I find fulfillment, purpose and meaning in my daily life because of all He has done for me and all He enables me to do for Him. I know the best is yet to come, that one day God will right every wrong. He gives me strength for today, and hope for tomorrow so I can carry on. Knowing I am safe in the arms of the Almighty God allows me to enjoy the good, perfect gifts He daily lavishes on me.

Solomon can tell you that until the God-shaped vacuum in every heart is filled with the Lord Himself, life is vanity. As I’ve reflected on my 70 years, thankfully, by God’s grace, I can say, “Yes, I know what life’s about. I know what I now see is not all there is. My life has counted.”

Now, the goal is to stay on track for the next 20 years and have a strong, successful ending, Hopefully, I’ll hear God say, “Well done.” A life well lived, giving Him glory: That’s what it’s all about.

Renee Scheidt lives in Salisbury.