We tend to live like tomorrow is a given. The calendar is marked, the alarm is set, the to-do list is half-checked, and the coffee pot is prepped for another day. We go about our business as though time is something we can bank, or at least something polite enough to send a warning notice before it runs out.

But the truth? Sometimes the end comes mid-bite.

I was reminded of this not long ago when I heard about a woman who passed suddenly at home. Nothing dramatic, nothing movie-worthy. Just life — interrupted.

Here’s the picture that stuck with me: her glasses were neatly set on the counter, and beside them was a breakfast sandwich with a couple of bites missing. That was it. No final monologue. No climactic music. Just glasses that will never again perch on a nose, and food that will never be finished.

And in that simple, ordinary scene, I saw eternity breaking through.

The Sandwich of Finality

We expect life’s end to be like a long novel with a proper conclusion — last chapter, fade-out, maybe even an epilogue. But more often than not, it’s like someone slammed the book shut mid-sentence.

That unfinished sandwich speaks volumes. It says, “She had plans. She thought she had another bite left. Another morning. Another tomorrow.” But God had already numbered her days, and that number was up.

Scripture doesn’t sugarcoat this:

“You have decided the length of our lives. You know how many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer.”

Job 14:5

Cheery, right? But also grounding. Every single breath is already known by the Author of time. You and I don’t get to schedule our exit, and we don’t get to reschedule it either.

The Glasses Left Behind

Then there are the glasses. Sitting patiently, like they’re still waiting for their person to come back and put them on. But she won’t. The eyes they served are closed now. The world they helped her see is no longer hers to look upon.

It’s almost cruel, how objects outlive us. Cars outlast drivers. Phones keep ringing after their owners are gone. Glasses sit on counters long after the eyes they corrected are sealed.

It reminds me of Solomon’s words:

“When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

Ecclesiastes 2:11

Our stuff — the sandwiches, the glasses, the trinkets — they’re just props in the play. And when our scene ends, they stay behind on the stage like lost set pieces.

The People Left Half-Finished

Here’s the harder part: when someone leaves suddenly, it’s not just their sandwich that’s unfinished — it’s the people who loved them. The family. The friends. The co-workers.

It feels like their story with us has a missing ending. No last words, no goodbye hug, no one more “I love you.” It’s like a sentence that just trails off…

Jesus understood this kind of ache. That’s why He said:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Matthew 5:4

When someone is taken, it’s not just about their life being done — it’s about the gaps and holes their absence leaves in ours.

And yet, in Christ, even this isn’t the end of the story. For those who believe, death is just a comma, not a period.

The Urgency of Now

This whole scene — glasses, sandwich, silence — is a wake-up call. Not a “be afraid of death” call, but a “don’t waste your life” call.

James said it this way:

“What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

James 4:14

A mist. That’s humbling. You can see it in the morning, but by noon, it’s gone.

We get so caught up in half-baked priorities. Netflix shows we “have to” finish. Work projects that feel eternal. Scrolling through social media like the world depends on our thumbs. Meanwhile, the eternal things — faith, family, forgiveness, truth — sit waiting like a sandwich we never get around to eating.

So maybe the question isn’t, “What do I want to accomplish someday?” but, “What if I only had today?”

Eternity at the Kitchen Counter

I can’t shake the image: a half-eaten breakfast sandwich and a pair of glasses. Such ordinary things, yet they preach a louder sermon than many pulpits.

They say: Live ready.

Because you won’t know when the last bite will be your last. You won’t know when you’ve put down your glasses for the final time.

But here’s the hope — if you’re in Christ, when God calls you home, it won’t matter what’s left on the counter. You’ll be sitting at a greater table, with eyes that don’t need glasses, eating bread that never runs out.

Jesus said:

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35

That’s the real breakfast sandwich. Eternal. Satisfying. Never half-finished.

Conclusion

A sandwich and a pair of glasses may not seem like much, but they’re a reminder of the brevity of life and the certainty of death.

The question isn’t whether we’ll leave something unfinished — we all will. The question is whether what we finish points to Christ.

So let’s not waste time. Let’s not assume tomorrow. Let’s not leave our sandwiches — or our relationships — half-eaten.

Closing Prayer

Lord, help us to number our days and live wisely. Teach us to value each moment, each word, each act of love as if it could be the last. May our lives leave behind more than unfinished sandwiches — may they leave behind the fragrance of Christ. Amen.

Call to Action

Today, don’t just plan to finish your sandwich. Call the person you’ve been putting off. Say the words you’ve been holding back. Forgive the one who wronged you. Because one day, the glasses and the sandwich will stay behind — but your love, your faith, and your testimony will ripple into eternity.