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He's alive...and he's talking to me...
October 1, 2009
He's alive...and he's talking to me...
My cousin James had a brain aneurysm three summers ago. He is my only male cousin and lived with us on and off growing up. He's more like a brother to me than a cousin.
When they told us he had a brain aneurysm we were all so afraid he would die. He had brain surgery to repair the vessels and made it through the surgery seemingly well. There was a 14 day period that the doctors still continued to say it was "touch and go".
He couldn't talk on the phone except to his two little girls. We were getting the reports from his wife on how he was doing and any little progress he made. One day I was at my mother-in-laws house when his sister called me. She was talking so fast I didn't know if it was good news or bad. When she finally calmed down I understood her excitement, her brother had called her on the phone and talked to her. She was elated that he was well enough to call her and that he was starting to sound a little more normal and in the land of the living. Her excitement feed through the phone and straight to me. I was now just as jazzed as she was.
When I got off of the phone the first thing I did was start to tell everyone, even though they didn't know him, what she had just told me. The things that I remembered her saying over and over again was, "he is alive and he talked to me and I am so excited."
Later that night my spirit started churning. Why was I so excited? Why did I want to run down the street screaming and rejoicing and telling everyone my cousin's story? Well, obvious reasons, I love him, it was a miracle and well he was alive!
Then the feeling hit me, the convicting one, that says, "I love Jesus, He is a miracle, He performs them daily, and well He is alive. So what is the difference? What makes me want to run down the street telling everyone of the good news of my cousin, but I am so reluctant to share the good news of Jesus Christ when he has done so much more? He is the reason that my cousin is still with us today!
Challenge: Think of a time when you had some good news that you wanted to share with everyone...even people you didn't know, what made it special? The birth of a baby, a job promotion, a great accomplishment? Why are you more at ease to share that joy with the world than to share Jesus with them?
The last thing I noticed when his sister called me to say that he had called her was that she told me all the things that were still wrong...work, she was tired, but then she said, "But who cares He is alive and talking to me!" If only we could adopt that attitude of, life is hard right now, but who cares Jesus is alive and talking to me! What more do we need?
This story is from my daughter Sarah Baty Ricci.
Enjoy the Son,
~ Rhoda
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