“It matters not how long we live, but how well.” -John Wesley
John Wesley wrote these words in 1760 in a letter to Dorothy Furly. She received many letters from Wesley with pastoral and health advice. Wesley corresponded with a number of people, particularly women, that sought his counsel and at the end of one such letter to Furly, we find the words “it matters not how long we live, but how well.”
The truth of these words from so long ago, is evident in our own day. As many of us know from experiences in life, when a loved one dies it is often the good that they had done that stays with us. This, of course, is not always the case. Sometimes, the opposite is what we remember, which is unfortunate.
But for those who have lived well, the memory of that loved one, that friend, that family member, leaves a striking impact. And it’s often the little things that come to mind, the kindness shown, the care given, or the consistent love.
I actually knew my great grandmother, which is not that common these days. Her name was Lucile. She was a faithful Christian. Spunky. And an excellent cook. But what I remember most about her were her hugs. If she hugged you, you got a real hug. None of this perfunctory stuff. It was one of the many ways that she communicated love, and it left a lasting impact.
A life lived well produces felt love, love that impacts us. And authentic love comes from the holy love of God.
For on a certain level, it is right to say that a life lived well is a life that overflows with the grace of God. We often speak of the means of grace, and we have lists of them (even if their number is limitless). Chief among them is Holy Communion itself, but they also include meditating on Scripture, prayer, fasting, and caring for others.
But grace—the power of the Holy Spirit—doesn’t simply empower us to live holy lives for our own sake, it empowers us to live holy lives that impact others. A life lived well can be said to be an avenue of grace.
And one does not need to live long, but to live well, in order to communicate this grace and to make this impact on others. For it often comes in small acts, gestures that don’t make the headlines, but acts and gestures that participate in something so much more, leaving an impact that is remembered for years to come.
Ryan N. Danker is director of the John Wesley Institute, Washington, DC. This is adapted from a weekly JWI newsletter that can be subscribed to here.
P.S. Over the last few weeks, Good News has published a series of articles on holiness. Click here to read the last installment of our four-part series.
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