As I reflected this Thanksgiving, I was truly reminded of the volatility of life. Addi will be two years old on November 27th. Many of you shared in our journey back to the States with our little preemie. She has defied many odds and continues to excel in all aspects. I have heard many people say, “She was a fighter!” Sometimes our response is that of a gentle smile, a chuckle, or even the shedding of a tear as it brings back the flood of emotions. However, as we truly reflect on that which sustained Addi, we quickly realize that Addi had nothing to do with it. Addi had no inherent ability to say to her little heart, “close the hole that is causing problems” or to say to her lungs, “expand on the count of three.” or to command her lower digestive track, “function as I designed you to function.” There were several families that their little ones never made it out of ICU. Was their death due to an inborn desire not to fight? I heard the parent’s cries and we felt their pain and we wondered, “Will we leave the ICU with or without Addi?” We prayed, “Lord, if it be your will allow Addi to live and if not grant us the grace to endure the pain.” So, did Addi really fight? Did the preemies that died really die because of a lack of fighting? NO. God sustained Addi and God chose for her to live and he chose the other preemies to be with him.
It’s amazing that none of us are any different than Addi. Each and every day we too are in the ICU. The absence of God’s sustaining touch in our lives would result in death. When was the last time you thanked God for your life? Thanked him for allowing your lungs to grant you your next life sustaining breath? Have you considered that at any moment your heart could stop beating? After all, three-thousand people die every day from a heart attack and roughly 155,000 people die every day in the world. Why are you still living? Why have you been chosen to live this very day?
This is what I am thankful for; I am thankful for every day that the Lord in His sovereignty allows me to experience life. I am thankful that today my family is alive and well. We have been granted the joy of experiencing another day with our creator, another day with each other, and another day to be lavished with the grace of God.I hope that whoever reads this letter will truly realize that we are all in the ICU of this world and we will not escape except through death. The final destination will vary. For some, that which remains is a place of rest and worship with the creator, a place beyond comprehension. For others, that which lingers is a place of despair and torment, which too is beyond comprehension. Thus, I close with this. Do you know what awaits you? Will it be a place of rest or despair beyond comprehension? Either way, whether you are filled with security or uncertainty I would encourage you to ask the Lord to draw you unto him, to make you aware of your sin, and to prepare you for life outside of the ICU.
Psalm 139, John 6, John 17, Acts 2-3; 13, Romans 1-10,
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