On My Mind and In My Heart

I've been thinking about my sister-in-law, Jan, today. Jan passed away four years ago this week after a sudden brain aneurysm at the age of 51. My brother, David, had to make the heart-wrenching decision to take his dear wife off of life support and to donate her viable organs to those patients waiting for a miracle. They received that miracle thanks to Jan and her giving husband.

Organ donation is an amazing thing. It is also a complicated process that comes with certain conditions. For example, where you land on the list depends on how severely you need that new organ to live. It also depends on certain conditions that have to be met in order for the team to consider you as organ-recipient "worthy". For example, an organ donation team will not give a new liver to a practicing alcoholic. That person would have to quit drinking before they are even considered. Likewise, you would not receive a lung transplant if you were a chain smoker.

That is why I am so thankful that God does not give us a list of conditions for our salvation.

Romans 5:6-8 says this: "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Wow.

I have this disease that I was born with, and it's called sin. I can't cure it on my own. I am so unworthy of the miracle of redemption. And yet, that's why Christ came. Because I could never do it on my own. I will never be good enough. I can never do enough or say enough to be worthy. That's why Christ died in my place.

Grace. It is a miraculous gift. Let us never take it for granted.



{recipe: Stem Sayings (SU), pear pizzazz card stock, bravo burgundy card stock, baja breeze textured card stock, Basic Grey Urban Prairie papers, Martha Stewart heart border punch, folk heart punch (SU), heart doily from Wilton's}