The Best Christmas Gift

I’ve shared on several occasions via this blog over the past few years about several events that have impacted me and my family through the life and death of my son, Jacob. If you’ll indulge me I want to share another.

As a quick reminder or for those uninformed, Jacob was born with a severe and fatal (without intervention) heart defect called hypoplastic left heart syndrome back in 1988.  He underwent three open heart surgeries in Philadelphia within his first two years of birth by Dr. William Norwood, who had pioneered this series of palliative surgeries.

To fast forward to December 2004 … Jacob’s ailing heart was weakening to the point that our only hope was a heart transplant. So we sat and waited to see which of two results came first – a heart came or his time ran out.

Then on December 21^st, Karen and I received a call at 4:00am while we were in the catacombs of Egleston hospital in Atlanta.  In those catacombs the hospital had graciously provided free sleeping rooms for parents. The nurse called to gleefully announce to us that a heart had been located. I figured it was going to be awhile before the donor heart would make its way to the hospital and I knew it would be a long day of surgery so I jumped into the shower to wake me up and to get ready for what lay ahead.  About 20 minutes later, Jacob’s nurse called and frantically said, “Where are y’all?  They’re about to take Jacob away for prepping!” We rushed up to the floor, tying our shoes in the elevator, to get the chance to see Jacob and tell him we loved him (and praying it wouldn’t be for the last time). Thankfully, we made it in time.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of updates and activity around us as the waiting room grew crowded with family and church friends praying for a Christmas miracle.

And it came … Early in the afternoon the surgeon came to meet with Karen and me in the consultation room. Often these rooms are used to break bad news to a person or family but he called us in because of the crush of friends and family that had accumulated in the waiting room.  Dr. Cantor shared that he couldn’t believe that Jacob’s old heart had lasted so long, but that the new one was in and beating well on its own.  He reminded us that the road ahead was a long one but that we were off to a good start.

Christmas Day 2004 with the family

Later that evening, Karen and I were able, at long last, to sit by the bed of Jacob. He was laid out on his back with tubes and wires running in and out and everywhere all over his body. If you stopped to listen in the quietness of late night, you would hear the rhythmic 'pssssst' of the ventilator and the bubbling of the pleurovac. You would have thought you were in some mad scientist's laboratory. But to us, it became a place of worship.

The emotions of those last twenty-four hours had drained us but everyone around us could see the relief on our faces. We were, indeed, relieved and grateful to be where we were.  But we were also reminded that another family had just experienced the most severe of tragedies that would permanently alter their Christmas holiday for the rest of their lives.  We celebrated but they were grieving. 

(But five short years after this time of celebration [and another with the second heart transplant in 2007], Karen and I along with our entire family and circle of friends encountered that same life-altering experience when Jacob died of cardiac arrest battling a heart rejection episode.)

So we are constantly reminded that someone’s death became the pathway of life for Jacob and us.

 And, so, as we celebrate the birth of the Christ child with all of its gift-giving, food consuming, and family loving splendor, we must remind ourselves the purpose of His birth.

It is in His death and glorious resurrection; we have a pathway of eternal life offered to us.  And that is truly ….

THE BEST OF ALL CHRISTMAS GIFTS

THINGS YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN ….

FOR EDUCATION LEADERS: GBACE Annual Conference, SHIFT, with keynote speaker, Dr. Thom Rainer - http://www.gbace.org/annual-conference.html

FOR TRAINING LEADERSHIP: Ministry Pathways by Ministry Grid; Simplified plans for training ministry leaders throughout your church. http://buff.ly/1jZJIW5

FOR HELP IN WRITING YOUR OWN BIBLE STUDIES: Smallgroup.com offers Bible studies for every book in the Bible and over 200 topics.  Now video supported studies are available! - http://home.smallgroup.com/

FOR DISCIPLESHIP:  DevoHub, a new way of delivering a daily devotional to your church and community - http://devohub.com/

FOR DISCIPLESHIP: Disciples Path, a plan for developing disciples - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/Disciples-Path

FOR ADULT MINISTRY: 5 Ways Senior Adult Church Become Younger - http://thomrainer.com/2015/09/five-ways-some-senior-adult-churches-became-younger/

FOR MEN’S MINISTRY: Johnny Hunt’s Men’s Conference simulcast, February 5-6, 2016 - http://www.lifeway.com/n/product-family/johnny-hunt-men's-conference?type=events&intcmp=MensEvents-MTX-Text-JHuntSimulcast-20150903

FOR WOMEN’S MINISTRY: Priscilla Sherer Live Simulcast, April 23, 2016 - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/Priscilla-Shirer-Live-Simulcast?type=events&emid=women-pslsimulcasteblast1-pslsimulcastfamilypage-20151118

FOR YOUTH MINISTRY: MOVE Conference, Macon, GA, December 28-29 - http://move.superwow.com/#about

FOR YOUTH MINISTRY: CONCLAVE Conference, Chattanooga, TN, January 28-30, 2016 - http://ymconclave.org/

FOR YOUTH MINISTRY: Discipleship Interview with Real Youth, Parts 1-3 by Ben Trueblood; hear what they want to tell their youth pastor - http://www.lifeway.com/studentministry/2015/10/28/a-discipleship-interview-part-3/

FOR YOUTH MINISTRY: Disciples Path for students – a new series for developing your student’s discipleship - http://www.lifeway.com/Disciples-Path/Youth/c/N-1z0znzeZ1z141ym?intcmp=DisciplesPath-MTX-Text-Students-20150625

FOR YOUTH MINISTRY: LifeWay Girls Conference, February 19 & 20, 2016 - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/LifeWay-Girls-Conference?type=events&EMID=jk-newslettergcon-092415

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: Kids Ministry Summit, Jekyll Island, GA, February 4-5 - http://gabaptistgroups.org/training-conferences/2016-kids-ministry-summit/

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: VBS Jumpstarts, helping to get your VBS off on the right foot - http://gabaptistgroups.org/training-conferences/2016-vbs-jumpstarts/

FOR KIDS MINISTRY: I’m a Christian Now resources, newly revised! - http://www.lifeway.com/n/Product-Family/I'm-a-Christian-Now