I was sad to hear of Grant Imahara’s passing. Grant was perhaps best known for his work on Mythbusters as a master builder, brilliant engineer, and all around joyful guy. Social media is full of touching tributes and great stories about Grant, some of which I never heard. Did you know that Grant designed and built Geoff Peterson, Craig Ferguson’s robotic sidekick from The Late Late Show? Me neither.

Grant died at the young age of 49 as a result of a brain aneurism. The news brought another stark reminder of the fragility of life. We make so many assumptions about what tomorrow holds, how long we’re going to live, what old age will look like. Yet scripture confronts us with a sobering question: “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (James 4:14).

Psalm 39:5 says “You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.” The older I get, the more shocking it is when someone I know –“know” in the celebrity sense, or in real life — dies. I don’t fear dying, but I do fear living my life as if I won’t.

News like this this makes me want to go and hang out with my kids. As I was writing, my daughter Lexi brought me a little stuffed monkey, one of her babies, so I could give it a hug. It was the most important thing I could do. In that moment, nothing else mattered.

Grant’s family and friends have experienced great loss, and I mourn with them from a distance.

Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
    so that we may grow in wisdom. -Psalm 90:12