Sometimes when the Holy Spirit speaks
to you, it is such a strong voice that you cannot deny that it is from
God, and if you love God, the only clear option is to obey.
John 14:23 says, “Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves
me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come
to him and make our home with him.’”
In February 2000, I felt a tug upon my heart
to check into being a living kidney donor for a new friend, Sarita, a wife
and young mother of two children. She had been diagnosed with kidney
disease and was on dialysis – the dialysis machines kept her alive, but
the treatments took more than 15 hours each week. That was
time away from her family.
I prayed for guidance. Was this my
servants’ heart reaching out, or was this the voice of God telling me to
be tested because I was a match? I prayed for discernment and wisdom
- the tug on my heart continued. When I approached Sarita to express
my desire to be tested, I caught her off guard and she immediately declined
the offer, saying that she could not ask me to go through that surgery.
But it wasn't a gift from me, it was a gift from God. After a little
bit of my 'bugging' her, she agreed that we could be tested to see if we
were a match. I believe she gave in to the tests because she didn't
think there was any way we would be a match, and that would get me off
of her back.
When all of the tests were completed, the
results proved that this was indeed the hand of God. Our blood tests
and tissue-typing tests showed results that not only said we were a match,
but showed that we were such an unusually close match that we could have
been sisters. A new 'sister-friend'. God is so gracious.
Our surgeries were performed in October 2000.
Sarita has her health back and time to spend with her husband and children
that had been robbed from her for 2 1/2 years. I do believe
that I received a greater blessing. God has blessed me with a greater
knowledge of His ways and His love for us. He has placed the desire
in my heart to walk with him day after day, searching for His direction
and guidance.
Is God tugging on your heart to do something
that seems out of the ordinary? When we love God, we will obey him.
2 John 1:6 says, “And this is love: that we walk
in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning,
his command is that you walk in love.” By your act of obedience
God will be glorified, and through your life, His light will shine.
Open your heart to God. When you feel
that tug on your heart, pray and ask for guidance. If you will take
that first step toward following Him, He will provide the strength and
courage that you need to follow-through. Your life will be blessed,
others around you will be blessed, and you will come to know God in a more
intimate way. The true beauty of obedience is that God will be glorified!
If you are interested in obtaining information
about being a living organ donor, you may visit www.baylorhealth.com
