Thursday Greetings!
Yesterday my husband spoke with a buddy whom recently had a dramatic, life-altering experience. A few weeks ago this friend was at the gym preparing for a Disney Cruise that he would be taking in two days. He was in the middle of a strenuous workout when he started feeling bad. His wife was called and she drove him to the emergency room. It was quickly determined that he was having a heart attack right then and there. This guy is 41 1/2 years old. His father died at 42 of a heart attack, and even though he thought about how great it would be to see his dad, he wanted to wait.
His wife and two small children, who were outside waiting for the in-laws to pick up the kids, were called in by the medical staff and told to say their good byes as they prepped this guy for emergency surgery because the doctors thought he would not survive. In they went, and as he lay there literally dying, they cried and hugged. All the nurses and doctors were crying too. Due to the urgency of the situation they did not even have time for anesthesia, so as the wife and children were escorted outside, they started a procedure--inserting two stents into two completely blocked arteries.
The overwhelming chest pains masked the smaller pain of the anesthesia-free surgery, and Jorge's friend just remembers thinking, "I need to live no matter what. Any pain pales in comparison to leaving my wife without a husband and my three kids without a dad."
I am happy to report that against all odds he survived! He is, for the glory of God, making a complete recovery and will soon be back to his normal life.
My husband was visibly moved by this story, and I knew as soon as I heard it that I would give everyone an important task today.
Stormie Omartian has a beautiful line in one of her books on prayer, and she has provided the inspiration for this assignment.
At some point today I want each and every one of us to place our hand over the hearts of those we love, or if we live alone place our hand over our own heart and say this prayer:
Dear Lord,
As I place my hand over _________'s heart, give him/her a heart that never fails. Keep _________'s heart strong and full of vitality for a very very long and full life. Psalm 27:15 says when we hope in You our hearts will be strengthened. Thank You that each and everyday we place all our hope in You and Your goodness for this life and the life to come; this means our hearts are strong! In Jesus' name, AMEN~
Wow, what a sobering experience for this man, his family and all of us that by hearing of it through you, feel the ripple effects of a wake up call to live each day of our lives with Intention! My dear friend, as we shared earlier today, Matthew 8:24 "WITHOUT WARNING, a furious storm came up on the lake".
ReplyDeleteLet's keep our eyes focused on the One that calms the storms !
You are a blessing,
Silvia
My dear Silvia,
DeleteI am going to hijack your "Without Warning" passage because it's perfect. Look for it soon. In the meantime, you need to know that God has called you to help others keep focused. Does that make sense? :)