My Achy, Breaky Heart

Billy Ray Cyrus, the country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, is best known for his 1992 Number One single "Achy Breaky Heart",  We sang (or twanged) along with his song on the radio and many of us even Country line danced to it.

In 2005  the phrase "Achy, Breaky Heart" took on a whole new meaning for me after a  trip to the Hospital Emergency Room for what I thought was an Asthma attack.  A chest x-ray revealed an enlarged heart and some fluid build-up in my lungs. Added to that was a very low heart rate,  irregular heartbeats and an abnormal EKG. This ensured my admittance to the cardiac unit for observation and additional testing.

The next morning around 5 am "Waltzing Matilda" (my IV pole) and I made the short trip from the bed to the bathroom. Feeling weird and fearful of fainting I pulled the nurse call light.  Her response was immediate, as she had already been on her way into my room to check on me. As she walked me back to my bed she explained that the monitor had showed several pauses between my heartbeats. As I sat down on the bed I broke out in a cold sweat and then blacked out.

They say the hearing is the last thing to go, and for me it was also the first thing to return. I heard a discussion taking place about whether or not it should be charted as a "code blue" as the crash cart paddles weren't used. The male voice at my side stated that "she was already turning blue when I arrived." (My first conscious thought was "so that's why it's called a code blue.") He continued, "she was gone for 3 to 4 minutes. I gave her an injection of epinephrine and she's coming around now."

Opening my eyes I saw a sea of people. (Have I died and gone to Singles heaven?) Then I noticed that they were all dressed in scrubs and crowded into my hospital room. The lone figure dressed in white and standing on my right hand side was a Doctor.  I was informed that I needed a pacemaker (I was 49 years old) and was headed right into surgery.

As I was being prepped for surgery I recalled the following verse:

          "O my son, (daughter) give me your heart." ~ Proverbs 23:26a (NLT)

I was reminded that God, our great physician and healer, can mend a broken heart if we will only give Him all the pieces. Without a doubt I know that God's hand was upon me that day and being at the hospital literally saved my earthly life. I was given a second chance at life.

God is the God of second chances and He willingly offers each of us a chance for a new life in Christ.

"Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." ~ John 14:6 (NLT)

This means that Jesus Christ is the author and giver of life, natural, spiritual, and eternal. He is the way of life, or "the living way." Jesus paid the penalty for our sins so we are perfect (worthy) in God's sight.

What's the condition of your heart? Won't your give God all the broken pieces and places so He can make it new?

Wishing you healing for your Achy Breaky Heart and a New Life in and through Jesus Christ.

Blessings! :)