One afternoon, all indicated it would be a quiet shift when we suddenly received a call informing that a patient in serious condition was on her way from another hospital: female, aged 38, married, mother of 3 girls, and with a chart filled with diagnostic hypotheses, but none confirmed. In other words, she was in critical condition, but no one could understand the cause. As soon as she arrived and we started the exams, she had five cardiopulmonary stops, the longest of which was 30 minutes. This means she was dead for the better part of an hour, and we were struggling to keep her alive. The team was already exhausted from performing heart compressions; so many that two ribs were broken, her lips were already purple, her skin was pale and cold. While her anguished family cried outside the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) we, health professionals, already tired, were preparing to cease and declare time of death, when a slight pulse was felt and the team breathed a sigh of relief.
Now two feelings arose: the satisfaction of seeing life returning and another of dealing with the consequences, which we expected to be incredibly serious. After some exams, an adequate therapeutic measure for the case was reached, and in a few days, to our surprise, she opened her eyes, talked, recognized everyone around her, and was able to get up and walk, something never expected by the doctors, and definitely not so soon! When we told her what had happened, she smiled and said, “Thank you, God! Here I am.”
I had the pleasure of seeing this patient go home and the satisfaction of seeing health professionals admitting the existence and the greatness of God. Do you know the purpose of your life here on earth? How is your spiritual life? Flatlining? If so, for how long? Do you believe someone is trying to revive you? Sometimes we stagnate in our spiritual life and forget that it is the basis of everything and find ourselves stuck in crisis, pain, anguish, despair, in emptiness. The biggest cause of this is spiritual malnutrition, which, like physical malnutrition, also causes weakness, discomfort, and even illness.
I always had a very busy routine and, on several occasions, I left the house in such a hurry that I would forget my lunch, and my mother would run after me and give me fruit so that I wouldn’t leave on an empty stomach. I worked from 7 am to 1 pm, or even a little later, with only a banana in my stomach, and, who knows, 200ml of water. Considering the demanding routine of a hospital, do you think my body was getting enough nutrients? No, not really! It received little nutrients for a lot of activity, and if I did this every day, my body would be weak from lack of nutrients. Our spiritual life is no different. Reading a verse on social media and listening to Christian music in the car is not enough for the day. More is needed. God wants to have time in your schedule, in your day. He wants to nourish you with messages of love, mercy, justice, and protection. He wants to hear your wishes and fears. He wants to tell you the dream that He has for your life here and instruct you on how to make it a reality. You came to this earth to cooperate with His work, to hasten His return, and to spread the nourishing love that He has to offer. So, awake from this “flatline”, show that you have a pulse and say, “Thank you, my God. Here I am!” Even if there are traumatic consequences from your past, He can heal you and free you from what even doctors don’t understand. Don’t wait until you’ve gone through the valley of death. Don’t wait until you’re in a hospital bed. React today, react now!
“As our physical life is sustained by food, so our spiritual life is sustained by the Word of God. And every soul is to receive life from God’s Word for himself. As we must eat for ourselves in order to receive nourishment, so we must receive the Word for ourselves. We are not to obtain it merely through the medium of another mind. […] “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3).”
Lift Him Up, p. 300.
