This past week, our church family said goodbye to someone who understood a thing or two about living life well. John C. Samples, one of E91's beloved former Senior Ministers, passed away at the age of 93.
John lived a full life, but what stands out to me isn't simply the number of years he lived. It's the way he lived them.
John had an extraordinary gift for making people feel valued. No matter how busy he was, he always made time for one more conversation, one more story, or one more opportunity to get to know someone. When you were with John, you had his attention. He made you feel as though there was nowhere else he'd rather be.
For John, relationships were an art form. Some affectionately referred to it as "The John Way." It wasn't a program or a strategy. It was simply how he lived. He understood something we all too easily forget: People matter more than the things that compete for our attention.
I've been thinking about that a lot lately.
If I could take a peek at your calendar and checkbook, I could probably get a pretty good idea of what matters most in your life. How we spend our time and money are two of the clearest indicators of what we value—not necessarily what we say we value, but what we actually value.
And then there's that wonderfully convicting little feature on our phones called "Screen Time."
If you're an iPhone user, you know what I'm talking about. It tracks how much time you spend on your phone each day and even breaks it down by app. How much time did you spend scrolling through Facebook? Checking the news? Watching videos? Looking at things you can't even remember five minutes later?
I don't bring this up to make anyone feel guilty. I bring it up because time is one of the few things in life we can spend but never get back. And it's remarkably easy to spend it on things that matter very little while neglecting the people who matter most.
I doubt that when we approach the end of our lives, any of us will wish we'd watched one more television series, answered a few more emails, or spent another hour scrolling through our phones.
But we might wish we'd lingered a little longer over dinner. Made one more phone call. Listened more closely. Said "I love you" more often. Or simply put down our phones and looked someone in the eyes.
That's one of the things I'll remember about John Samples. He understood that a life well lived isn't measured merely by what we accomplish, but also by the love we give, the relationships we nurture, and the people we make time for along the way.
John's life reminds us that making time for people is never wasted time. In fact, it may be one of the most meaningful investments we ever make.
The writer of Ecclesiastes, after reflecting on the fleeting pursuits of life, arrives at this conclusion: "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind" (Ecclesiastes 12:13, NIV).
At the end of the day, a meaningful life begins with loving God and extends into how we love others.
So perhaps the question isn't simply, "Am I making the most of my time?" but rather, "Am I making time for what matters most?"
John Samples spent 93 years showing us what that could look like. And maybe the best way we can honor his legacy is to practice a little more of "The John Way" ourselves.
Celebration services for the life of John C. Samples will be held on Sunday, November 1, at 4 pm in the Worship Center of East 91st Street Christian Church, with visitation from 2-4 p.m.
