A Passion For Our Priorities

Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. Psalm 61:2-3

Life can be dangerous. Many people who have survived brushes with death have learned the important truth that the only truly safe place on earth is in the presence of God. They also learn something about the importance of their priorities.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, Brian Birdwell was coming out of one of the Pentagon restrooms when Flight 93 crashed into the side of the building just four windows away from his office. He was knocked unconscious as jet fuel and flames engulfed him, covering 60 percent of his body with second- and third-degree burns.

Brian is certain that if he had been in his office at the moment that jet hit the Pentagon, he would have died instantly. Since the terrible events of that day, he has searched his heart and asked himself many wrenching questions:

“Why was I one of the survivors?”

“Is there some special purpose for my life?”

Today Brian admits that there have been many times when he wished that he had died rather than have to endure so much physical and emotional pain. But he pushed forward. And during his painful journey to recovery, Brian has struggled to find answers to the questions that have haunted him.

While not all of his questions have been answered, Brian has made some changes concerning his priorities in life. He says, “I still have the same priorities: God, my wife, and my kids. I am just more intense about them now.”

What are your priorities? How have the hard times of your life caused you to view these priorities differently?

Lord, help me to set the kind of priorities that I can be passionate about.