My mother offered me milk. But for my life, I could not drink it. Here 'But for my life' means?

My mother offered me milk. But for my life, I could not drink it. Here 'But for my life' means?

Explanation

The phrase "But for my life" is an idiomatic expression meaning "no matter how hard I try."

In the given sentence, it implies that the speaker was unable to drink the milk despite trying.