As serious as a heart attack...

Last week, I was invited at the last minute to have lunch with a guy from church. 10 minutes later, he and I are in line at a local deli ordering our meals. 10 minutes after that we're sitting down waiting on our food to arrive and he begins rubbing his upper chest toward his left arm. I ask him if his left arm hurts (because we're both thinking heart attack symptoms) and it doesn't hurt but he's steadily feeling worse. 10 minutes later he's on the floor with his tie/shirt loosened and his feet elevated with the paramedics enroute to the deli. 10 minutes after that, he's in an ambulance in the parking lot receiving nitro, IVs, etc. And, 20-30 minutes later, he's in the emergency room on his way to a heart catheterization procedure where they discover that he has indeed had a heart attack and will require a triple bypass (which is happening today as I write this) to fix blockages of 100, 98, and 78 percent, respectively.

This guy was 55 years old and in prime health: worked out regularly, and ate very healthy, with no apparent lineage of heart ailments. Yet, while he, his wife, family, and friends all deny the possibility, here he is getting a permanent scar in the center of his chest. Lessons?
  • Each of us, if we're not careful, can operate under the illusion that we have control over our lives. As someone said to me recently, "you can't fix everything." As someone who fights against this notion, this is sometimes hard for me to accept.
  • The One who is in control, has power to care of us. For example, if this would have happened to my friend at another time during the day or week, he would have been alone and unable to get help. Not only was I there to call 911 and pray, but a worker in the deli was there to talk him through the episode and provide some much needed wisdom to keep him alive until the paramedics arrived (elevate feet, provide aspirin, etc.).
  • I don't know when God will take me out of here. What relationships and joy am I missing out on because I live under the illusion identified above?

So, I'm going to squeeze my friends and family a little harder and thank God for them with a little more earnest joy. And, as my friend recovers, I'll continue to let him know how glad I am that he's still here with his wife, sons, and the rest of us.

Of course, now I've got people afraid to go to lunch with me...;)

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