What Matters Most

By Patrick Morley & The Man in the Mirror Team 

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father…So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29,31).

Our hearts and prayers go out to the grieving family, friends, and co-workers of the five individuals that were lost aboard the submersible Titan as it descended to view the wreckage of the Titanic.

It is a reminder, once again, that life is brief and about what matters most. Astronauts Michael Anderson and Rick Husband, who perished on the Space Shuttle Columbia, ensured this message would not be lost.

In Anderson’s preflight video, he said, “Rick and I both feel we were put on this mission for a reason, and we have tried to meet all those challenges with prayer.”

Rick and Michael attended the same church in Houston, where Rick was active in the men’s ministry and led a “Dads in the Gap” small group.

Grace Community Church played a video he recorded before his flight to their congregation.

“If I ended up at the end of my life having been an astronaut, but having sacrificed my family along the way or living my life in a way that didn’t glorify God, then I would look back on it with great regret….What really meant the most to me was to try and live my life the way God wanted me to and to try and be a good husband to Evelyn and to be a good father to my children.”

Rick wrote to his pastor at the bottom of his ‘in case of tragedy’ documents, “Tell them about Jesus. He means everything to me.”

Let us not fail to seize this reminder that life is brief and, like Rick and Michael, make sure we are focused on what matters most: Jesus. Glorify God. Husband. Father. Mission. Prayer.

Portions of this article were originally published as a part of the series titled “Just A Thought.”

Motivated by his own search for meaning, purpose, and a deeper relationship with God, Patrick Marley started a weekly Bible study in a bar with a handful of guys in 1986—a study that now reaches thousands of men around the world every week. Inspired and challenged by those studies and conversations, he wrote The Man in the Mirror, named one of the 100 most influential books of the 20th century. The deep hunger he saw in men for a more authentic life led him to start Man in the Mirror—a global men’s ministry impacting thousands of churches and millions of men. Widely regarded as a leading authority on men’s issues, Patrick has written 22 books and more than 750 articles—all focused on helping men solve their most compelling problems. His books have been translated into numerous languages and printed in 48 countries. “The ministry of Man in the Mirror exists,” says Patrick Morley, “in answer to the prayers of all those wives, mothers, and grandmothers who have for decades been praying for the men in their lives.” Patrick graduated from the University of Central Florida, earned a PhD in management, completed postgraduate studies at Harvard Business School and Oxford University, and graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary. He and his wife live in Winter Park, Florida. They have two married children and five grandchildren.