Celebrate Life

Seven years ago tonight I woke up in the intensive care unit at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. My sister Le and I had both undergone surgery and she had given me one of her kidneys. The transplant was necessary because my kidneys didn't work anymore. They had failed and I required a new kidney. My sister loves me, and she did what was needed to give me a new life.

In the years since the transplant, a lot has changed. I used to think I was invincible. I now know I'm not. I view life as the precious gift that it is, and I live it a lot more fully. I've learned what's important, and I still continue to learn. I am not as strong or independent as I thought I was, but I am free. I am free to live as I was created to, glorifying God and deriving my satisfaction from Him alone.

I don't believe in coincidence. I know things happen for a reason. I can look back now at the transplant and see all the ways God has used that situation in my life. The more people I meet, the more I realize we all need a transplant. The thing we need is a new heart. The way we have been living doesn't work. God loves us and sees our need. He has done all that is necessary to give us a new life. We need to go to Christ's hospital and have a heart transplant. Then we can start living.

Today I went for a long run. I am training for my second marathon. I ran better today than I've run in a long time, maybe ever. For that I'd like to thank my sister. Today I lived a lot. I loved a lot of people. I lived with passion and purpose. It was one of the best days ever. For that I'd like to thank my God. I celebrate life today. Not merely the physical passing of time, but the state of being all that I was created to be. That's the only way to live, and we were meant to do it forever.

In John 17:3 Jesus tells us that eternal life is knowing God, and knowing him. That is the only kind of life that is worth living forever. Start living eternally today. It will give you reason to celebrate.