I was on my way home from a hunting trip in Montana when the phone call came. Before your mind wanders, this was a very good call, one that our family had been waiting almost three years to receive. We had just gotten word that a young and generous living-donor from Wisconsin was the perfect kidney match for our 21-year-old son, Tim.
Tim was born with a kidney disease and had a transplant at age 5. His transplanted kidney had failed after many years, and his health was rapidly declining. Let me tell you, witnessing your kids' medical struggles really tears at a parent's heart. He had experienced kidney failure, many dialysis complications and side effects over the last couple of years. He struggled to enjoy even the simple pleasures in life at times yet he waited with anticipation for the day that a transplant would rejuvenate him physically. My wife and I had prayed to the point that we didn't really know what else to pray; we often couldn't find the words, so we waited.
During this challenging season of life, while waiting and praying, God was doing some very intentional work behind the scenes. Since a person can donate their kidney while they are alive, many of our friends and family had come forward to be tested to be a donor. The doctors explained that it was going to be very difficult to find a match for Tim since my wife nor I were viable donors. They said he may have to wait two to five years before an acceptable match could be found.
A paired exchange program exists through a network of transplant hospitals. The details are much more complicated than my level of understanding, but this is basically a kidney-swap program involving a chain of people who can give and receive the gift of life. The logistics and generosity boggles the mind.
This is the part that helped me see God's hand in the story. At some point, people felt a nudge to participate in the paired exchange program. They felt prompted to go through a barrage of tests to see if they could donate a part of themselves. I get nervous just donating blood let alone a surgery that takes more than five hours where they remove an organ I was born with. Who does that kind of thing?
Often, when we think about being obedient to God, we think about the shoulds and should nots. You know how this works; we should not lie, cheat, or steal. We should be more patient, less sarcastic or become a better listener. But the obedience I'm talking about here is a pure act of love. We witnessed about a dozen people who selflessly acted in obedience by getting tested. My sister-in-law was one of those people; her name is Tess. Our family witnessed a modern medical miracle because she was willing to follow God's prompting and act in obedience by giving up her kidney. Her kidney went to a complete stranger. Because of that, a match for Tim was found; a match that our doctors told us would not be possible. All because someone acted in obedience out of love for God and/or their family member.
Tess' surgery date was set for December which meant Tim's operation would happen first. Nov. 19 (also my wife's birthday) was his big day and all went well. The donor's kidney was delivered from out of state and transplanted into our son in a matter of hours. It began working almost immediately and has been running strong ever since. Tim is feeling better than he has in years and is excited about moving forward in his next season of life. His whole world has changed in the last couple of months and as parents, we are beyond grateful.
While we waited and prayed, God prompted people to act in obedience and they did. In this case, extraordinary obedience was on display as an act of love; it changed Tim's life.
What about the rest of us? In what ways is God prompting us? How can we do what God is asking us to do? Part of being faithful to Jesus means that we step out in faith and respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit; not out of obligation or duty, but out of love for the One who gave His life for each of us. We may be an answer to prayer. We may be a link in a chain of events that changes a life. Take time this week and listen for His voice. Maybe He has a prompting for you.
