At church in Greeneville a couple of Sundays ago, a woman stood up, clearly emotional, and explained that her husband, a 40ish year old dad & staple of the community, has needed a kidney transplant for quite some time. Several routes had been explored, a brother willing but unable to donate, much hope found with disappointment right on its heels time & time again. Can you imagine? The husband you've loved, poured yourself into, made countless memories with... the father, role model, best friend of your child... the pillar of your house, your life. With kidneys that just aren't functioning like they need to, and not a thing you or he can do about it.
A little background of that home church of mine...you know those "little country churches"? New Lebanon has always fit that stereotypical picture perfectly. Generation after generation raised there... friends that feel like family encouraging and praying over you week after week. Growing up, my youth Sunday school class was lucky to have five of us in there. A big Sunday, maybe 70 in the pews. It was truly one big family... sickness met with laying hands and lots of prayer, loss rippling through each heart, a pregnancy announcement or acceptance letter celebrated with applause, hugs, & curious questions. About this time last year, a new preacher came, different than the ones before... much younger & more rambunctious than what we'd always had. The church members knew, though this would be different, it was a necessary change. We needed an awakening...not the same ol' same ol'. And awaken we did. You're lucky to find a seat now, & Sunday after Sunday, he stands & pierces straight to our hearts, with truth of the gospel & ways the Lord is growing him even now. He demands we get up &be active, that the world is not sleeping & we, as Christ's disciples, cannot afford to be either. He pushes us to look more closely at our lives, to see the ways we are falling short or misrepresenting the name of Christ. He is real, transparent. So many complain about how Christians put on a good face all the time... that we seem to have it all together & struggle with very little. I would dare to say no one could or would be tempted to say that about this man. He leads by example in every facet of his life & our church.
So, on that Sunday a couple of weeks ago, I can't say I was surprised to hear what she said after giving us the background story. Nonetheless, it rocked me to the core & has affected me each day since. It turns out that our pastor, the one who rarely fails to lead by example, will be donating a kidney to her husband. That they'd already done all the preliminary testing & it was a go.
Being a living donor is a big deal. He will be cautioned to not play any higher risk or heavy contact sports. He will need to keep his weight and blood pressure in check, so to not cause any problems to the one kidney he'll have left. There are many risks our pastor is willingly and happily taking on to essentially give new life to this member of our church, a man he barely even knew just a few months ago.
She told us that he was torn about even telling us, insisting that he didn't want any of the glory or praise. In the weeks since we first found out, praise he has gotten, but he always, always redirects it. He insists that the Lord made it clear that this is what he's to do, and that he is simply walking in obedience.
And as I sat in the pew, stunned and amazed at the selflessness and the faith of this leader of our church, my mind of course went straight to 1 John 3:16... "By this we know love, that He laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers..."
I thought how good of a message I've always known that verse to give. Lay down my life for my brothers & sisters... put aside my wants & desires, consider myself last. But to give a kidney?? Woah. That's a whole different kind of "lay down our lives". Then, of course, I thought of his wife. And decided that I might be up for doing something that extreme... but being on board for Gavin doing it? Yeah right. Take my kidney, but leave his. How brave & trusting his wife also is, to knowingly allow her husband to put himself at risk for future problems. But then, the truth of that verse sunk in... Jesus Christ literally laid down His life for us, willingly, humbly, painfully. What a testimony, as an imitator of Christ, to be willing to do the same.
1 John 3:18, a couple verses later, says "Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth." That's what our pastor is doing, loving in deed & truth. He is shining a light for the world to see... one that cannot be ignored or brushed over. What he's doing will impact all who hear, and isn't that the point of each Christian's life? "But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth" Exodus 9:16.
With all these thoughts in my head, all I keep going back to is this: my God is HUGE. And powerful. And every time I step back a second & think of all He's done, awe doesn't even begin to describe it. And if my pastor can take such a step of faith in donating an organ, what's my excuse?
"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, & shows the way." John Maxwell.
It's late & I'm SO tired, but I've been meaning to share this story since I first heard & was so touched, and I couldn't exactly put it off any longer. The surgeries are at Duke tomorrow morning, 7:30 for the donor, 9:15 for the recipient. Please be in prayer for both families.
