I thought I'd share a true story with you, and the deeper spiritual meaning I took from it:
<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>December 9, 2004
The Gift of Life
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. --Colossians 3:4
Last night while I was at my doctor appointment at UCSD, I got to eavesdrop on a miracle in progress.
I'm a new patient at that particular facility, but the routine is basically the same as what I had grown accustomed to at Loma Linda University Medical Center. First I am escorted to an area where I weigh in, have my height recorded and my vital signs checked. After that I head back to the examination room and await further instruction. Last night, as I strolled back to the exam room, I noticed a young woman sitting beside a portable oxygen tank which had obviously been decorated for the Christmas season. I offered her a friendly smile and thought to myself "wow, she's sure taking that in stride."
As I resumed my seat beside my husband in exam room #2, I commented to him about what I had just seen, and described the festive-looking tank. In the next moment, the near-silent hallway became noisily alive with several excited voices. Brad and I learned that the young woman was a candidate for a lung transplant, and had just been paged with the news that a donor had finally become available!
For the rest of the evening, my thoughts kept returning to that young woman. I contemplated the fact that she was being given a second chance at life because somewhere nearby, a life had just been lost. As a result, the medical world and the generous gift of a total stranger had combined to offer her a miracle.
In the same way, God has offered us the gift of life. We were already dead in our sins when he decided that we would send his son to restore us. More than two thousand years ago, he sent his son--flesh, blood, and breath--so that ultimately in his death we would be given the opportunity to live. For generations before Christ's coming, God's people were required to wait. They waited for years for a Savior, no doubt feeling discouraged at times. How blessed we are to be living in a time where we have seen the fulfillment of God's promise to his people. We are not like the numerous people on the transplant list who live day to day wondering if their names would be called and hoping for a chance to live. Nor are we like the believers of the Old Testament who were given promises from God, but who did not get to see those promises fulfilled in their lifetimes.
We are like the young woman who received a new set of lungs last night. Our names have been called. God's promises have been fulfilled, and new life in Christ is ours for the taking. Believing in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is a way for us to receive salvation as something of a "life transplant. And unlike with organ transplants, we need never fear the possibility of rejection! The gift of salvation is one that cannot be lost, and the gift of life in Christ is life eternal.
To learn more about organ donation and how you can give someone the precious gift of a second chance at life, please visit www.organdonor.gov </end quote></div>
