make God your TOP priority!
My father has been complaining of chest pain and difficulty of breathing. I believe that our failing business is stressing him so much that his health is being affected. So finally, he decided to go to the hospital to have a general check-up. Since we don’t have enough money to pay for the hospital bill, we used the health insurance provided by our government. However, for us to avail the health insurance, my father needs to be confined in the hospital for at least 1 day. I accompanied and took care of my father while he is in the hospital. Little I do know that I will learn great lessons from our brief hospital stay.
Lesson #1: Our parents are growing old as well
While this is very obvious, the reality hits us hard on the face when our parents actually get ill. We tend to ignore signs of aging or diseases until we can no longer dismiss the problem. As I grow into adulthood, I tend to believe this world is about me and my dreams and ambitions. Along the way, I forget that as I grow old, my parents grow older as well. Because of this, I realized that life is really too short for us not to spend enough time with our family. Thus, while we still have our parents , we need to show them our care and love.
Lesson #2: Getting sick when you’re alone is one of the loneliest situations in the world
When my father was admitted to the hospital, he told me that he’ll be okay if I will go home and rest. He said that he will be fine to be alone in the hospital. However, I am sure that he doesn’t want to be alone with other people in the room. Being sick without your love ones is really heartbreaking. I experienced this myself when I got sick and my family was miles away from me. Getting sick is really terrible, but being away from your family at the same time is even worse. The most helpless people are not the poor, but the sick and ill.
Taking care of our health should be part of our daily life
Poor health choices and sedentary lifestyle will eventually claim its toll on us. What we will be in the future is affected of what we do today. The sooner you make good choices, the better it will be. My father lacks enough exercise though he has a good diet and a life free from vices. Exercise might be time-consuming and tiring, but it is an indispensable factor to lengthen your life. If you want to live a more fulfilling life, then you need to start taking care of yourself. I would say that investing on your health is one of the best investments you can ever make. So don’t wait until it’s too late.
Getting sick is costly
Our hospital bill reached more than 14,000Php (about 250 USD) for just one night! Thankfully, we have our health insurance to cover that expense. I try to think how we could pay for that amount of money especially in our current financial status. For this reason, I am really thankful for the government to meet one of our basic needs. It makes me realize how our country could have been a great country if only our government officials use our taxes in the right way and not using the money for their own good.
Life is so fragile
When we are still young, it feels like we can live forever. But when we grow old and signs of aging start to kick in, then the reality sink in. That’s what my father told me. He laughs at grandpa when grandpa has his senior moments or when grandpa will complain of arthritis. According to the Bible, the average lifespan is only 70 years.
When you stop and think of it, 70 years is really a brief time for all of us. Life is truly fragile. You will truly be blessed if you reach this age. But stop and think about those people who died very early and those people who died unexpectedly. Life is fragile and I would say that we must spend it wisely and spend it on the things that are really important. We must always remember to put into practice what Matthew 6:33 tells us:
“But seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
We need to properly prioritize our life and invest our life to the things that really matters.
Final words
We left the hospital happy because we can finally go home. Though it had been only for a day, I will never forget the lessons I learned. Our days are numbered and our life is nothing but a vapor. So don’t waste your time on things that will be meaningless on the day you die. But rather, do God’s will in your life and you will never regret the life that you have lived.
Free Booklet:
Marriage and Family: The Missing Dimension
Additional Reading:
Satan’s Role in Causing Suffering
Avoiding Unnecessary Suffering
