One of the reasons I have a passion for hospital ministry is that I often see people come to a point where they realize what matters most to them, what matters most in life. When your life is under threat by disease, disaster, or drastic financial crisis, you tend to evaluate what lasts, what is precious. I have seen this process countless times.

A man is diagnosed with heart failure and knows that his only hope is a heart transplant–the emotions and priorities sharpen into a fine point when you face a one-way surgery for survival.

A woman loses a spouse–suddenly the house, the trips, the financial stability and future fade quickly, and she would gladly trade all those things to hold onto her husband.

A man loses his job and is told that he has failed his company’s expectations. As he assesses his new reality, he hears himself saying to himself, “As long as I have my family, I can get through this.”

A parent stands beside a gurney while looking down at a son who isn’t waking up after an accident–baseball scores, academics, popularity, and all the achievements that might have been in his future mean nothing as long as he wakes up.

What matters most to you?

You see, I would rather identify that without the crisis, before it’s too late, ahead of the curve of my own personal history. I have often contemplated, “What if this were my last day? How would I live differently?” In fact, I have asked that question of others and received an array of responses.

“I would spend my savings on a big spree,” or “I would do the riskiest things I have ever imagined,” or “I would do one last bucket list experience,” they have said.

But mine would be different. Every home that I have owned except one became “real estate” when I sold it. Every recreational toy I have ever had has eventually broken or worn out. Every car wound up in a shop or on a sales lot. None of those last.

PEOPLE last. People are eternal creations of God, and the inheritance and redemption Jesus purchased for us lasts forever.

So. . . I would spend that day reminding my family and friends of how precious they are to me; I would do everything I could to order my finances, affections, words, and resources to bless them, and most of all, I would point them to the JESUS who has conquered my fear of death and established a confident hope because of what HE did to show His love for me.

When you think about it, you realize in crystalline clarity what matters most.