Friday morning, I got out of the shower and saw a text from a friend: “Dr’s think Zeb may only have hours left…I’m headed over to the hospital”

My heart sank.

Zebulun had been in and out of the hospital for the past few weeks and I knew his health wasn’t good but I didn’t expect things to move this fast. I’d just seen him at the hospital a couple nights before.

Twenty minutes later I was standing in a room with his mother and a few of his close friends, gathered around Zeb for one last time.

I’ve had several friends and acquaintances die before their time.

I’ve been to several funerals of people younger than me, my age, and slightly older than me.

I’ve sat with grieving spouses, parents, and friends who have lost loved ones.

But I’ve never seen death this up close before.

I’ve never looked someone in the eyes who was hours from death.

It was really hard. I cried multiple times. But I’m grateful I could be there.

I’ve had a hard time putting into words the emotions and internal shifts I’ve felt since being there in that hospital room.

Normally, I write about business stuff. Today, I’m sharing a different perspective.  Here are a few thoughts I’ve been pondering since that experience:

1) You’re Not Taking Anything with You

None of your achievements, none of your money, none of your properties, none of the admiration of others, nothing you’ve accumulated materially or immaterially on this earth is coming with you.

“Yes of course, I know that”

If you really believe that’s true, then why are you striving so hard, putting in so many hours, and why do you spend so much mental and emotional effort trying to ensure everything goes according to your plan?

2) What Good is It?

What good is a full bank account, the respect of others, loads of investments and passive income and a business empire if in the process of building all that, the people you care about most get a striped version of you? What good is all that it if your relationship with Jesus is lukewarm and you don’t have true peace or freedom in your life?

At Zeb’s bedside there were zero conversations about what he’d accomplished. All that mattered was his character and who he was for those around him.

What are you really living for right now? And is how you’re investing your time, money, and energy aligning with what you SAY is most important to you?

3) Seek First What Actually Matters

In Matthew 6, Jesus talks about how we cannot serve two masters. We cannot serve both God and wealth.

He goes on to say that we ought to not worry about our life or the provisions we need. God knows we need those things and rather than focusing on accumulating them as a top priority, we ought to seek FIRST His Kingdom and His righteousness.

Rather than orienting our lives around achievement, our lives ought to be oriented around God’s glory and living for what really matters.

Maybe it’s time to take an inventory of your life.

Maybe it’s time to really think and pray hard over what you’re really living for.

Maybe it’s time to realign yourself with what really matters.

Maybe it’s time.