“What’s really important?” That’s an honest question. For us, as believers in Jesus Christ, we should have a quick answer. This should be settled for us because of our understanding of the Scriptures. But, we get distracted.

Lately, because of many unforeseen events, I have been distracted but considering this question in earnest. We have had numerous deaths of church members recently. Grief is a profound, deep, loss from which we do not easily nor quickly recover.

Grief and loss have become very personal for me lately with the death of my brother, and as my son, Jonathan (who is a melanoma cancer survivor) was waiting yet again for biopsy results, and then when my wonderful wife ended up in the hospital via ambulance on Mothers Day. Sheesh!

My son, Jonathan, subsequently got the news that his biopsy was clean, and he did not have a return of melanoma. As we rejoiced together and talked on the phone, he related how these moments put everything in perspective for him and his wife. In that conversation, we came to the conclusion that the things we think are important, often really aren’t. Job, hobbies, TV shows we watch, etc., are all so insignificant. He related how life is so short, and many of the things we think are significant, really are not in light of eternity. We will be in God’s presence forever, and our life on this earth is just a blip on a timeline.

So what’s really important during our time here on earth? Certainly living for eternity and God’s glory, our relationship with Him, and our relationships with our families—these are investments that need to be the top priorities in our lives.

But we get distracted, and there’s a lot to divert us from what’s really important—jobs, activities, hobbies, politics, problems, daily routines, and busyness. But we need to ask ourselves, “What of these things will last for eternity?”

In Exodus 34, Moses made that bold request of God, “Show me your glory!” In the message on Sunday, I said to you, “If we are to see God’s glory, it will involve suffering.” But I didn’t mean that for me, I meant that for you, the people to whom I was preaching! Little did I know that a few hours later, I would be dialing 911 for the very first time in my life. At that moment, I was caught off guard by the emotion and fear I felt. I’m the one who’s supposed to be strong for others in their time of need. “Lord, I need you!”

The apostle Paul said to the Church at Philippi, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” “The fellowship of His sufferings” is a hard concept. The word fellowship means to share in something, or participate with. That does not mean that we share in the sufferings of Christ that redeemed us, but that He participates in our lives as we suffer simply by living in this broken world. He knows. He was here. He became one of us. He sympathizes with us. He feels what you feel.

The Apostle Paul was a minister of the Gospel who was also touched by suffering. He asked the Lord to take away pain that personally affected him. The answer? “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

I’ve felt like a weakling lately. But I must, and we must remember, that power is perfected in weakness. Yes, life’s difficulties expose our weaknesses, but that is when God’s strength is made manifest, not our own.

The past few months have been a vivid reminder of how brief our lives are, because you never know what the day may bring; how quickly life can change in a matter of moments. And the sobering reality is that we can’t control it. None of us is exempt from suffering and pain.

Hug your loved ones tight and don’t take them for granted. Invest in the things that are really important: your relationship with God, His Kingdom, and your relationship with your family.