Yesterday, I was in my recliner, surrounded by dogs, and writing in my prayer journal. My husband captured a picture of the moment. It was priceless because it showed me how much my “cup runneth over.” I recognized that I have so much love in my life. And while much of it is covered in fur, four-legged love is at the top of my list, so that is okay with me. But more than that, I have the love of God in my heart! Looking at the picture of my little slice of Heaven on Earth, I realized I am rich beyond my wildest dreams. I am guarded by angels and kissed by the Father of Lights.
All this makes me wonder, how can I ever say thanks for all God has done for me? I feel like I’m trying to figure out how to thank someone for donating the heart of their only child because that’s basically what happened. God gave me a heart transplant from Jesus’ death. He took my old, dead, sin-encrusted heart and put in a heart full of love and peace. How do I say thank you for that?!
If I were the recipient of an actual donor heart, I would be very mindful of that transplanted organ. I would want to tend and guard that heart because it would be precious. I would know that without it, I would surely have died. I would also revere it because I would understand that someone had to die to give it to me and that part of them was inside me.
What a precious, lifesaving, but oh-so-costly gift we have with our new Jesus hearts! Giving Him back our love and trust is the only thing worthy of such a gift. Whenever we hand over our worry and despair and choose to trust Him, we live in a way that honors the sacrifice.
Ironically, most transplant recipients have a scar to remind them of their donor’s sacrifice and a fistful of drugs they must take daily so they don’t reject the precious organ. In our case, Jesus bore the scars, and He promises He will never reject us! And for myself, Jesus purged me of all the drugs I was taking and gave me the miracle of sobriety when I got my new heart.
As I ponder all these things, I realize that instead of a scar on my chest, I have a truckload of mental snapshots of grace. Pictures, just like the one my husband took yesterday, that I carry in my mind of moments filled with love and laughter. I have an abundant life when I focus on those instances. I can see that my cup of blessing overflows. However, when I focus on the crisis-de-jour, or whatever scary “what if” boogeyman my mind stirs up daily, I let my moments pass me by. That means abundant life is in the here and now and accessed from my perspective. No wonder the Apostle Paul said that we transform our lives by renewing our minds (Romans 12:2).
Regarding perspective, look at your heart donor: “We focus our attention and expectation onto Jesus who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection. His example is this: Because His heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be His, He endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God.”
2 Responses
beautiful picture cris ! So good to see you and love your heart of gratitude !!
Awww, thank you! Great to hear from you!! Aren’t those babies sweet? My sweet Molly sitting next to me is 15 now, and still going strong. My sweet Gracie is at my feet, and what a character she is. The shnauzer under my right arm is my new pup, Elsie. She’s nearly 11 months old and super sweet. I’m a rich woman!