Resurrection

I spent most of 2020 feeling unproductive, invisible, and useless. I many times wondered if I add value to anyone’s lives. Or if my existence had meaning. OK, fine. I felt this way prior to 2020—the devil has been tormenting me for years. But all things COVID Pandemic didn’t help.  

Four days ago God proved me and Satan wrong.

My brother’s family came to town last week for three nights. Although they stayed at his in-laws’ place, they made this trip just to visit me. Of course my niece and nephew also wanted me to spend the night over there. I promised I’d stay one night. Not that anyone had to twist my arm. They serve amazing breakfasts at that house. But the day they made the almost 300-mile-drive to visit me, I had a fever and body aches. We felt ninety percent certain it was a strong immune reaction to the Shingrix vaccine. Even so, I kept my distance that night. And the next night. I felt bad my family had driven so far to visit someone stuck at home with a fever and chills. What a disappointment.  

Two nights into their three-night trip my fever broke—just as the pharmacist had predicted. I packed my bag and headed over there for some much-anticipated games and a sleepover. That night my brother’s father in-law taught us an old card game he used to play in India. Twelve hours later, my brother and I found ourselves performing chest compressions on him on the kitchen floor. He went from making breakfast, to cardiac arrest, and was unresponsive for ten minutes.

God resurrected him—he is recovering well. Of all the nights for me to spend over there—God chose the night prior to his heart attack. My eleven-year-old nephew said it had been a test of his faith. That makes two of us.

That day God once again revealed himself, his power, and his miraculous works. He also revealed the devil’s lies. He orchestrated a specific time and place for my presence—for my brother’s presence. He surrounded a man with family during a weekend he had a heart attack—a weekend he would have otherwise spent alone with his wife. God is not random. He is engaged. He is involved. He is into the nitty-gritty details. He can and does resurrect death back to life. Even today. He brings life to dead circumstances. To dead marriages. To dead purposes. And he brings life to dead faith.   

I have determined to make 2021 a year of resurrections: New year. New attitude. New mission. New life. But mostly new faith. I hope you will too.