James 4:13-15
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."NIV
Many of you already have heard that my dad had a heart attack on Tuesday am. I was working at the office when my sister, Jan, called and told me she was driving to the hospital in Denver because our dad had a heart attack. She didn't know the severity of it but would let me know. Later she called and said he appeared to be alright but they had to put a stint in his heart due to blockage in the artery.
It was one of those sureal experiences. I was sort of numb and didn't know what to do but wait. The staff at CVVC were so precious. They invaded my office and came in to pray for dad. I also let the folks in CC know and they were praying there. Wade then had his fellow students at VCOM praying for him. Needless to say I felt the situation bathed in prayer.
Then Jane and Cory in CC encouraged me to go to Denver. So I quickly packed up and drove over the hill. So I spent 2 days with my family and focused on serving my parents. It was a good time to just hang out at the hospital and be with them and my 2 sisters.
But the verse in James kept ringing in my ear. It was a wake-up call to the reality that life is so temporal here. So I was thinking and praying about how God can use this to wake us all up to the lessons to learn through this. I came away with a deeper appreciation for my family and the need to truly cherish our times together. I also have a deeper sense of urgency for the Gospel to be shared.
I also had one of those Holy Spirit moments where I was prompted to pray for my dad's heart to be healed. The Dr. gave a shady prognosis and said 1/3 of the heart was damaged. So I told my parents about Karen being healed of breast cancer a month ago and the same God can heal his heart. So they were open to prayer and I layed hands on my dad's heart and prayed a simple prayer for God to heal the damaged tissue. It's up to God now!! Made the trip to Denver worth every moment.
The encouragement for all of us is to embrace every moment. To live life to the fullest. What legacy are we leaving? Is our life making a difference in a persons life for the Kingdom of God? A challenge for all of us, isn't it?
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2 comments:
Last year, my dad, in his late 70’s, experienced a dramatic healing in his leg. It was life changing for him. No one can convince him that God’s power and love are not real…he experienced it! Experience has a way of convincing us like nothing else can!
There is a portion of Scripture that has been tugging at my heart for more than a year: “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if any one steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to DO THE THINGS THAT I DO; and he will do even GREATER THINGS than these, because I go to the Father. And I will do—I Myself will grant—whatever you may ask in My name (presenting all I AM) so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in (through) the Son. Yes I will grant—will do for you—whatever you shall ask in My name (presenting all I AM). John 14:12-14 (Amplified)
Please keep updating us on your dad . . . I sense that God is up to something . . . “greater things.”
Back in November 2006 my then 20 year old son was diagnosed with a very rare disease called Good pastures syndrome (your body begins to reject it's own lungs and kidneys). His lungs responded to treatment, but he is still in total kidney failure, and eagerly awaiting to be put on the National Trnasplant list. This was one of many very surreal moments for me.
I have learned so many valuable lessons in the past year (I can't even begin to tell you what God has done for us).
One of the more valuable lessons I have received is the importance of relationships. I used to get very angry when someone would stop in and want my time, but now find it easier to sit and visit.
On occassion though, I still have to remind myself that it is okay to be interrupted in my daily plans. That if taking a few moments to visit with someone can impact the kingdom, then I have done my part.
As you shared James 4:14, I have also learned that we are not in control of our lives, and I was the world's #1 control freak before my experience. That has totally changed.
Wow what valuable yet difficult lessons to learn.
My prayers go to you and your family.
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