Outcomes

"She was 71. She had a mass pushing on her heart, and when she went into arrest in surgery they couldn't get her back."

My brother Joe shares his stories of life as a paramedic on an ambulance with me. I learn a little more each time he does. I learn about life, relationships, good, evil, free will, sin, salvation - because his stories intersect with God's story every time. He shows up when one of God's precious children is in the midst of a cry for help.

She was 71. She didn't make it. Her family reached out to share a message of thanks to the paramedic who played a role in her care. He had worked hard to restore her heart rhythm, even delivering her to the hospital with a steady beat. Her heart was under pressure. So much pressure, it would not withstand the rigor of the surgery that was designed to heal.

I told Joe, "Success is not defined by outcomes." He did his part well.

Joe is a great paramedic. God has gifted him. He has the ability to know when he's done well, and he can move forward to the next thing. I'm sure he thinks about his stories, but he's resilient. He always has been. I admire that.

I resonate with the few sentences at the end of this woman's story. A heart under pressure, struggling to find it's rhythm. I wonder, worry, and ask the Lord what will become of the next step in this journey my family is on. I hold my breath in anticipation of the next revelation of the Holy Spirit moving. I fret over whether I'm doing this well. And there He is, my Savior, whispering to me, "Success is not defined by outcomes." This life is His. The earthly outcomes that my eyes see... they are not the end. The success lies in the process of obedience, and ultimately in the promises of my Holy God.

I realize I have been in my own surgery; this cutting away of the mass pressing against my heart. Thank you Jesus for inviting me into this process of letting go.

1 Peter 5:7 "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." HE CARES FOR YOU