A moment in time that profoundly affected my life was the summer I was 20. Some friends and I had been to the dollar theater to see a movie and afterwards were fooling around in the parking lot- laughing, talking, having a great time. Then a call from my mom that my dad was on the way to the hospital...something wasn't right with his heart.
The entire night is a blur but dad ended up admitted to the hospital. Quick acting friends had gotten him to the hospital before the coming heart attack could happen. The next day they did a heart cath and found that my dad had major blockages in four arteries. The following day, he had quadruple bypass heart surgery.
The morning before dad went into surgery the entire family gathered around his bed for a time of prayer. It was a sobering thing to see my dad laid out flat on his back, his heart compromised, his health in jeopardy.
Ten days after dad's surgery my brother was to be married. The wedding was all set to take place in a small town about two hours outside of Philadelphia. Coming from Atlanta, thats a long way for a man who's just had his chest split open and his plumbing reworked to travel. My brother and his fiance wanted to postpone the wedding, but my dad was adamant that it go as planned.
Some days after the surgery dad was home, recovering. He was doing great considering what he'd been through. It's amazing what modern medicine can accomplish.
Then comes the profound moment in time that can impact a lifetime. A colleague of my dad's, someone who has known my family for many years, called my dad and told him he was sending him to the wedding in the private jet that he had chartered. A commercial flight would have been too taxing on dad, but a private plane meant a much closer airport, no waiting through security, a faster flight, it meant that my brother's wedding would be complete, with the whole family together.
Putting aside great personal expense, his own plans he may have had, this friend gave my family a most precious gift. Watching my dad walk down the aisle at my brother's wedding, I cried and cried. Happy tears, thankful tears, grateful tears.
It isn't every day that someone gives a gift that is priceless. I'm sure we could calculate the expense of a gift, but can never place a dollar amount on the pure, loving selflessness of the heart of a person who gives a gift that can never be repaid. Certainly, there is no amount of money or treasure that could equal the proud expression in my dad's eyes as he watched a happy marriage begun.
A moment in time that I will never forget. A selfless love. A priceless gift.
This is how we know what love is:
Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
1 John 3:16a
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