By Josie Siler
Danny Gokey tells the story of a pastor watching a surgery. The pastor had convinced a surgeon who attends his church to allow him to observe a heart surgery. What the pastor saw was nothing short of amazing.
The surgeon completed all of the repairs and it was time to restart the heart. Even though everything was as it should be, the heart wasn’t beating. He knelt down and whispered to the woman. He told her, “We have fixed your heart. … There’s nothing wrong with your heart. … I need you to tell your heart to beat again.”
Her heart began to beat again.
Out of this incredible story comes one of my favorite new songs, “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again” by Danny Gokey.
This song speaks to my heart on such a deep level. If you read my recent devotion entitled “Earl Had to Die” (http://www.erinelizabethaustin.com/blog/earl-had-to-die), you know that last month I went through some medical trauma. I’m still trying to recover from this, and to be perfectly honest, I’m having a hard time.
Technically I’m healthier than I’ve been in a very long time, maybe ever. Yet my body is still recovering, and so is the rest of me. I feel as if I’m stumbling along in a deep fog, lost and unsure of which way to turn. I’m so very tired, which is to be expected, yet incredibly frustrating.
I need to tell my heart to beat again. I need to start living again. Yet I’m terrified. I’m afraid it’s all a joke and I’m not really getting healthier. I’ve been here before. I’ve been “better” before, and then the “chronic” in “chronic illness” reared its ugly head and I was back where I started.
Danny Gokey tells the story of a pastor watching a surgery. The pastor had convinced a surgeon who attends his church to allow him to observe a heart surgery. What the pastor saw was nothing short of amazing.
The surgeon completed all of the repairs and it was time to restart the heart. Even though everything was as it should be, the heart wasn’t beating. He knelt down and whispered to the woman. He told her, “We have fixed your heart. … There’s nothing wrong with your heart. … I need you to tell your heart to beat again.”
Her heart began to beat again.
Out of this incredible story comes one of my favorite new songs, “Tell Your Heart to Beat Again” by Danny Gokey.
This song speaks to my heart on such a deep level. If you read my recent devotion entitled “Earl Had to Die” (http://www.erinelizabethaustin.com/blog/earl-had-to-die), you know that last month I went through some medical trauma. I’m still trying to recover from this, and to be perfectly honest, I’m having a hard time.
Technically I’m healthier than I’ve been in a very long time, maybe ever. Yet my body is still recovering, and so is the rest of me. I feel as if I’m stumbling along in a deep fog, lost and unsure of which way to turn. I’m so very tired, which is to be expected, yet incredibly frustrating.
I need to tell my heart to beat again. I need to start living again. Yet I’m terrified. I’m afraid it’s all a joke and I’m not really getting healthier. I’ve been here before. I’ve been “better” before, and then the “chronic” in “chronic illness” reared its ugly head and I was back where I started.
Is this time really going to be any different? What if I get sick again? What if the healing stops here and I don’t get any better?
Does it really matter?
Kutless sings a song called “Even If.” It’s about praising God even if the healing never comes. Even if the healing never comes, God is still God and He is good and He is faithful.
I know this to be true with all of my heart, and no matter what happens I will choose to praise Him. I know this in my head, but my heart hasn’t caught on yet. It needs a jumpstart. I need to get past my fear and tell it to beat again.
And so do you.
When we get sick one of our greatest fears is that we will never get back the person we used to be. We want our old life back and we want everything to be the same.
Friend, that can’t be. It wouldn’t be healthy. When we’re going through something as traumatic as chronic illness we change. As we look to God for hope, grace, and the strength to go on, we can’t help but be transformed. Truly, our old self has died. And this is a good thing because out of death comes life, abundant life!
In John 10:10 (ESV) Jesus tells us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Satan wants nothing more than to steal our joy, kill our bodies, and destroy our lives. But Jesus came so that we can live abundant lives, whatever our circumstances.
Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
We can let go of the life we used to know. It has been crucified with Christ. It’s time to embrace a new life with Christ. The life we live in the flesh (healthy flesh or sick flesh) we live by faith in Jesus – the Jesus who loves us so much that He suffered and gave His own flesh to save us.
You may live with chronic illness, but that doesn’t have to keep you from beginning again. There’s so much more to the story of your life. God isn’t done with you yet. He has something special planned for your life.
But what?
I know. It’s hard. It’s overwhelming. Where do we even start? God is so huge and there’s so much we can do – but there’s also only so much we can do. I was recently told to look for that one thing. That one piece of God’s heart that He wants us to show to others. Once we find it, we’ve found our purpose.
I love this! For me it’s hope. God wants me to share with others the hope found in Him. That’s my purpose in life, and it’s something I can do healthy or sick.
Do you know what your purpose is? What’s that one piece of God’s heart that He wants you to share with others? Today, let’s tell our hearts to beat again and begin living our purpose. What an exciting life we’re beginning!
Watch the video below for the full story and the song.
I know this to be true with all of my heart, and no matter what happens I will choose to praise Him. I know this in my head, but my heart hasn’t caught on yet. It needs a jumpstart. I need to get past my fear and tell it to beat again.
And so do you.
When we get sick one of our greatest fears is that we will never get back the person we used to be. We want our old life back and we want everything to be the same.
Friend, that can’t be. It wouldn’t be healthy. When we’re going through something as traumatic as chronic illness we change. As we look to God for hope, grace, and the strength to go on, we can’t help but be transformed. Truly, our old self has died. And this is a good thing because out of death comes life, abundant life!
In John 10:10 (ESV) Jesus tells us, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Satan wants nothing more than to steal our joy, kill our bodies, and destroy our lives. But Jesus came so that we can live abundant lives, whatever our circumstances.
Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
We can let go of the life we used to know. It has been crucified with Christ. It’s time to embrace a new life with Christ. The life we live in the flesh (healthy flesh or sick flesh) we live by faith in Jesus – the Jesus who loves us so much that He suffered and gave His own flesh to save us.
You may live with chronic illness, but that doesn’t have to keep you from beginning again. There’s so much more to the story of your life. God isn’t done with you yet. He has something special planned for your life.
But what?
I know. It’s hard. It’s overwhelming. Where do we even start? God is so huge and there’s so much we can do – but there’s also only so much we can do. I was recently told to look for that one thing. That one piece of God’s heart that He wants us to show to others. Once we find it, we’ve found our purpose.
I love this! For me it’s hope. God wants me to share with others the hope found in Him. That’s my purpose in life, and it’s something I can do healthy or sick.
Do you know what your purpose is? What’s that one piece of God’s heart that He wants you to share with others? Today, let’s tell our hearts to beat again and begin living our purpose. What an exciting life we’re beginning!
Watch the video below for the full story and the song.
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