This Is for My Grandchildren: What Is the Most Important Thing in Life?
To my precious grandchildren — Avianna, Autumn, Auria, and Autri:
One day, you’ll be grown with lives of your own. Before that happens, I want to pass on something that has taken me a lifetime to learn — the most important thing in life.
It’s not money. It’s not fame. It’s not even health, although health is a blessing.
The most important thing in life is to love God, love others, and follow Jesus with all your heart.
You see, life isn’t just about what you can earn or accomplish. It’s about who you walk with, and who you become along the way.
Jesus said the greatest commandment is this:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
And the second is like it:
“Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39)
When you love God first, everything else in your life lines up where it belongs.
When you love people, you reflect God's heart in a world that desperately needs it.
Over my 68 years, I’ve learned that following God’s Word isn’t just "nice advice" — it’s life-saving wisdom.
God’s Word will guide your life and keep you from a lot of unnecessary pain.
When I look back, I’m grateful for the things God helped me avoid — drinking, drugs, destructive choices — the kinds of traps that wreck so many lives.
Not because I’m better, but because His Word warned me ahead of time. And I listened (most of the time).
But even when you do everything right, life will still have trouble.
Jesus never promised an easy road. He said:
"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
That’s the second reason why following Jesus matters so much.
When life gets hard — and it will — you won’t have to face it alone.
Jesus will walk right beside you through the storms, the heartbreaks, the failures, and the fears.
He will give you strength when yours runs out. He will give you peace when everything else is shaking.
If you want practical advice, go to the Book of Proverbs.
It’s full of simple truths that can save you a world of heartache.
The older I get, the more I realize: God’s way really is the best way.
Not because it's easy, but because it’s true.
And because, in the end, what matters most isn’t what you built or how much you owned —
It’s whether you loved God, loved people, and lived for something bigger than yourself.
I love you all deeply. I’m praying that you will take these words to heart, and that you’ll live lives full of faith, hope, and love — the only things that will last forever.
With all my love,
Grandpa Mike
