I celebrated my twelfth "birthday" last week. Yeah, I can hear it now, "Why Tony, you don't look a day over fifty-six!" Twelve years ago, I came out of the "womb" of St. Joseph's Hospital after receiving five coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG). So, now I celebrate my birth of a new life every August 16.
Not too long after going home, I started wondering about all that had happened. Frankly, I should have been dead. I had heard of people having two, three and even four bypasses, but five?! It became clear to me that God was not done with me yet. I wondered what He still had for me to do.
It's taken me years to realize it, but looking back over these last twelve years it's become clear. God has brought people into my life that I have had the privilege of joining in their journey and walk with God. They have also impacted me in discovering more of what His purpose is for me.
What it boils down to is that life is all about relationships. For me, first and foremost is my relationship with God. That, though, is intertwined with my relationship with others. God desires a relationship with me like a father has with his son. He also desires for me to have ongoing relationships with His children.
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17
Throughout these last few years, I have been sharpened by others in my thoughts and viewpoints about my faith and life in general. It's become clear to me what is important right now and more importantly, how I can impact the future in my interaction with others. I love to hear what others have to say. It doesn't necessarily meant that I agree with them, but it will either challenge me or solidify my thoughts and opinions about all aspects of life; what's important and what's not.
Fifteen days ago, I had an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD or pacemaker with defibrillator) put in my upper left chest just under the skin surface. My heart had stopped pumping for six minutes after a treadmill stress test in the hospital, which caused a ruckus in the room. Through the whole event I was conscious and had felt no ill-effects. I was told that it couldn't have happened in a better place. Of course, I believe it was all in God's plan. Through circumstances, I was in the right place at the right time with the right people to take care of me. Coincidence? No. God? Yes.
Over the last few days, the question has come up again, "What is God's plan for me now?" I'm waiting for it to be revealed to me. I know that relationships are still a top priority. There are things that will happen that will affect me and what I do from this point forward, and there will be things that I will say and do to affect others. I still have work to do to fulfill my purpose here, and as I've been told, God isn't done with me yet.
