Psalm 106:1-2

Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.  Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can shew forth all his praise?

It may sound strange to hear someone say this but over the past 8 months I have prayed this over and over many times.  I cannot comprehend all the reasons God allowed me to experience a heart attack, but I can tell you that there are some things He needed for me to learn and He used this event to get my attention.   Was I a rebellious individual running as far from God as I could?  No, in fact, over the last number of years I think in many ways my relationship to my Lord has been the strongest it has ever been but like many Christians, I began to fall into a comfortable routine in my Christian life and a few subtle areas that seemed to take root in my life overtook more than I realized.  I allowed excuses to cover up and hide a few corners in the heart that I didn’t want to let go. In doing so I got used to not calling these areas what they really were, sin.  When we begin to rationalize those “acceptable” sins we become blinded to their affects on our life.  So yes, I do thank God for His great love for me to do what it took to get my attention so that I might pursue a more sanctified life.

After my heart attack happened and I began to realize the significance of it’s importance to both my physical and spiritual life there were several overriding reasons why I wrote these blog posts called “Lessons from a Heart Attack”.

First, for some personal accountability.  It has now been eight months since my attack and even now I need to continuously be reminded to stay on track, both physically and spiritually.  Even in these few months we have already seen and experienced how easy it is to slip on our good intentions.  By posting these lessons online, I am in a small way allowing myself to be seen by all and become accountable in a more public way.

The second reason I am posting is a hope that you, the reader, might glean something from my ramblings.  If even one little thought or comment might be an ember to a changed life, it would be worth it.  It is my hope that one of these posts would stir up within someone a desire to dig deeper into the Word of God and create a burning desire to live a more sanctified life.  Or for someone to be convicted by God’s Word enough to be will to make a radical change in both their physical and spiritual heart.

Over the past number of months I have shared 5 lessons that God wanted me to re-learn and renew in my life from my Heart Attack:

Lesson #1: Don’t waste the Warning Signs and Risk Factors

Lesson #2:  Things are not always what they appear

Lesson #3:  We influence others more than we think!

Lesson #4:  Good intentions often lead us in circles

Lesson #5:  Don’t forget the brevity of this life

What happened to me, happens to millions of people every year.  Statistically, I am nothing special.  Fifty percent live, the others die.  But I would dare to say that it is the few who take their experience, trial or testing and truly seek after God, and having  a desire to learn the lessons He wants them to learn, the correction needed in their life and the refining He desires to sanctify them are the ones that can truly say, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

So let me ask you:

What has been the “heart attack” in your life?

What significant event has God providentially allowed to come into your life to teach you and sanctify you?

What lessons have you learn from it?

Have you taken the time to write out these lessons so that you can articulate and remember them?

Have you shared these lessons with someone to help hold you accountable?

God has a purpose in ALL things, to refine us and sanctify us.  What are you doing to allow God to accomplish His purpose in your life?

Don’t waste your heart attack !

Next up, I will be sharing comments from several family members on how God has used my heart attack in their life.