Life is full of twists and turns, some that fit our understanding and some that don’t.  We want to understand life, ourselves, God and others.  Those who search gain some understanding, yet they remain so far from anything that could be called complete understanding.  I believe 3,000 years from now, we will still be awed by our Father’s ways and how different He is from us, His created beings.

I’m writing from the ICU of a major hospital in Columbus, Ohio.  Thursday, I was completing my daily 1-2 hours of cycling and developed chest tightness and difficulty breathing.  I’d had similar symptoms several times over the past six months, but I was living in the Amazon and cardiac care was not available.  I had decided that I would get it checked out while in the States and this episode on the bike encouraged me to go to the ED and investigate sooner.

I was kept over night and then had an abnormal morning stress test where they worked me hard enough to reproduce the symptoms.  A Cardiac Catheterization revealed a 95% blockage of a major branch of the LAD, the main artery on the front of the heart.  There was other, less significant evidence of Coronary Artery Disease not needing addressed acutely.  The cardiologist used a “cutting balloon” to reduce the blockage to 20% with a warning that recurrence is probable.  I will be on several new medications for the rest of my life.

What a blessing to be in a part of the world with the technology to identify and treat this life-threatening condition.  None of the people that I will serve in Angola will have the ability to receive such a treatment.  With an average life expectancy of 40 years, most won’t even have the privilege of experiencing coronary artery disease.

How our bias and world view affect our perspective and attitude!  Many would be disappointed with what I am experiencing, yet because of my global experience, my relationship with such a trustworthy Father, and the eternal perspective that results from my relationship with Him, I can genuinely rejoice this morning, from a bed in the ICU.  I love how our trust in Him and our relationship with Him mock the “wisdom of the world” or the “normal” way of processing our life experiences.