If you ever have the pleasure of spending any time with our son, Bradley, you will experience his random interjections of peculiar facts within any conversation. Whatever thoughts or ideas he shares throughout our days together usually cause me to stop in my tracks and ponder. They are never useless information, only to be used while playing Trivial Pursuit, but they most always cause me to contemplate, question, and reflect. Well, yesterday’s words of wisdom were delivered with eloquent confidence. “Mom, you know the photo to be used at your funeral could have already been taken?”
Honestly, Bradley makes me laugh out loud! How undeniably authentic he is. I cherish him.
Its been just over one year that Jim had a heart attack. Approximately 35 million heart beats later, we celebrate another day we weren’t promised. What a gift this adventure is! What joy we relish in! What thrill we experience as we come before Jesus every day with hope and expectation of His Glory and Wonder!
As I write, I gaze out our living room window to a hillside on fire with color. The aspen are transforming. Their branches understand the winds of change, pulling the chlorophyll from within each leaf back into itself for winter storage, holding on to every ounce of energy. We naturally cling to life. Praise God we cling to life! He made us to survive, to press on, to advance. And praise God He gave His up!
To a child, the aspen might seem to be dying, but to those that have been through many seasons of life, we know they aren’t dying, they are patiently growing. They submit to the weather and wait. Their perspective is set from experience. They trust in what they know is true, proven year after year.
So friend, our perspective is key. Our perspective makes or breaks every day. Do we cling to our life out of fear? Are we afraid of loss and pain, of the unknown? Or do we proceed with our hearts and minds set on eternity? Do we trust in His sovereignty and goodness? Or do we store every ounce of energy in order to pursue pleasure and comfort, to avoid adversity and affliction? Or is our life set apart for His glory and honor, for His pleasure and display; humbly submitting to whatever that looks like?
I am so smitten with Jim, its almost embarrassing. His faith is never wavering. His hope is continuously contagious. His love is passionately glorious. Fear doesn’t have a place in Jim’s life. Doubt takes a back seat. So how and where and for what reason does a heart attack enter into the scene? For God’s glory and for His alone. We give Him thanksgiving for all that is good and all that is hard! Six months ago, Jim was taken off all medication. He does not have high blood pressure or high cholesterol. He is fit and rides his bike like never before. He and a great group of friends just spent 5 days fellowshiping in the backcountry on their mountain bikes, riding from Telluride to Gateway, nearly 150 miles. He feels strong, well, and grateful. He works super hard, loves what he does and who he serves everyday. Jim’s heart not only beats today, but he is alive!
The snow is on its way here in Crested Butte. I love it! Hope is so beautifully portrayed in the changing of seasons. It fills my cup to overflowing. More so however, I am in awe of the hope and encouragement poured over our family throughout this past year. Thank you for your prayers for Jim and our family. Thank you for loving us so well. Thanks to God for His church to deliver His blessings. We love you all.
And as a final note, if you read the heart attack post (just the previous post), Allison is also doing amazingly well. She has not fainted again and stays intentionally hydrated.
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