Later that morning, our daughters woke up and we continued with our regular morning routine as we got them ready for school with the pain still in my chest. When my wife got home from taking our daughters to school she asked me if I wanted to go to the emergency room. I'm not big on going to the doctor (they always seem to find something wrong with you - go figure!), but I was starting to get scared, so I said "yes".
After blood work and a heart exam we found out I had had a heart attack and was in need of heart surgery - 5 bypasses to be exact. So the surgery was scheduled for and completed on May 9, 2011. After the surgery I had a lot of time to think and reflect on life...this is what I learned:
- You never know when your time is up on this earth, so you should make each second count. Each second with your family. Each second with friends. Most importantly, each second loving Jesus! I realized I had been living out of my faith instead of living my faith out.
- God is faithful and delivers His peace when needed. I remember lying on the bed just before they took me back for surgery and not feeling nervous or scared, but I felt surrounded by an indescribable peace.
- God still has work for me to do. God is constantly performing "heart surgery" on me so I can and will live like Jesus. The Bible tells me that He has huge plans for me and my life - plans that involve me and the spreading of His Kingdom.
- Also, I learned that it hurts to sneeze after heart surgery...badly!
Needless to say, that at the age of 38 I never expected to have a heart attack, but because I did someone was able to repair my heart both physically and spiritually. Now, every morning when I get dress and see the scar on my chest, I am reminded of the life I once lived and the greater life I'm called to live out.Sometimes we have to go through difficult and painful seasons to strengthen and repair our hearts so we can truly live.
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