The passing of gospel musician Bernice Offei has drawn renewed attention to one of her most reflective songs, Life Is Short, with an old interview revealing the deeply personal experience that inspired the track.
Speaking about the song in a resurfaced interview, the late singer disclosed that its message came from a moment that made her confront how quickly the years had gone by.
Bernice recounted that as a young girl, she often found it amusing whenever her parents had to put on reading glasses before they could read. At the time, she never imagined she would one day face the same reality herself.
Gospel legend Bernice Offei passes away
That perspective changed years later when she noticed her own children laughing at her for struggling to read without glasses, just as she had once laughed at her parents.
“My kids didn’t understand why I was doing that. And they were also finding it funny and were actually laughing at me. I realised that, hey, it was just like yesterday,” she recalled.
The experience, she said, became a wake-up call about the brevity of life and inspired her to write Life Is Short.
According to Bernice, the song was intended to remind people that life on earth is temporary and that everyone has a God-given purpose to fulfil before their time comes.
She added that the death of a young man she had been mentoring spiritually shortly before recording the song further reinforced the message, prompting her to encourage people to live lives they would be proud to account for before God when their earthly journey ends.
What inspired Bernice Offei’s popular song, “Life Is Short”? pic.twitter.com/a9WySd3Buc
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