On a business trip to Alaska, I met a lady who had the same first name and birthdate of my wife. We talked in our hotel lounge for a while and I discovered that her husband had undergone a kidney transplant. With my own brother-in-law needing that same surgery I asked a lot of questions about her husband's dialysis and his transplant and how he was doing. She gave detailed information -- it was like having a seminar on the whole process for which I was most grateful. The most startling bit of news was that she tried to donate her kidney to her husband because they had the same blood type. But the transplant center would not even test her to see if she was a good match because her body-to-mass index (BMI) was too high. So out of lover for her husband, she lost 70 lbs. in 9 months. She then qualified for testing and they discovered that she was a match in every way but that her kidneys were too small for her husband. If they transplanted her kidney in to her husband, it would have lasted only 2-3 years. Fortunately, God sent a friend who offered his kidney and was a match and her husband is now doing fine.
But 70 lbs. in 9 months? That is fantastic. And I could tell by looking at this woman that she kept the weight off for good. How was she able to do this? Diet and exercise were both big factors, but neither would have worked without the motivation she had of wanting to save her husband's life.
My own weight has gone back up since a car accident forced me to go for 4 surgical procedures to my spine. (A young girl texting ran into the back of my vehicle at about 30 mph because she couldn't be bothered to look up and see me at the stop light.) So I need now to get back down to my ideal weight and need to hit the gym 5 days / week to do it. But finding the movtivation can be difficult -- especially when you're still hurting.
Motivation is the key. It is certainly the key for holy living. Peter gives us 3 motivations to live a holy life. The first of these is most special to me -- it is the love of our heavenly Father. My own kids are precious to me. Two of my 8 children have expressed in written notes that their greatest fear in life was of doing something that displeased me. Why? Because they have always had my love and approbation and they didn't want to lose it.
More than anything else, I want to have that same spirit toward my heavenly Father -- so that I would never want to do anything to displease Him. He has given me every good thing in my life. My wonderful wife of more than 35 years, my 8 wonderful children, a nice home, a good job, a wonderful ministry. And a thousand other blessings....
Father, I do love you and I don't want to displease you today. May you remain in my thoughts and may I ever be aware of your presence watching what I do and hearing what I think. As my Father, may you be pleased with the way I live today. Amen.
