if the burden seems too much to bear remember the end will justify the pain it took to get us there

Today I realized again how everything can change in an instant.  And it scared me to death.  Thankfully everything turned out okay, but will it next time?  I have no way of knowing.  What if God is trying to warn me, gradually using bigger and bigger problems in my life to try and bring me back to him?  What will it take for me to break down my ego and realize that I need more than this world has to give me?  What will it take to get my attention?  I'd say that what happened today refocused me and made me realize my vulnerability, my impotency, but how long will this single event effect me?