What did I just say?

“I’m glad I had to go through that.” Sometimes the strangest things come out of my mouth in mid-sentence. During a recent phone conversation, I surprised myself by telling someone that I was glad to be born with a serious heart problem that could legitimately have killed me as a teenager.

My heart almost killed me at 15 years old.

For those who don’t know me personally, I was born with a heart condition called Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome. In simple terms, the nerve impulse from the brain travels to the heart and follows a complete circuit around your heart for one beat. The nerve pathway in my heart had an extra nerve that allowed it to short-circuit the pathway and beat way too fast.

The problem was corrected surgically on June 3, 1986. It was literally lifesaving because by the time I was 15, the medicine didn’t work anymore, and my life was in question.

So, I’m chatting with my dad on the phone a couple of weeks ago and found myself saying, “I’m glad I had to go through the struggles of WPW because it forced me to confront my mortality.” Wait, what? Did I say that?

I did. I had to confront my mortality at an age where most kids are concerned about school, the opposite sex, sports, the opposite sex, secondary education opportunities, the opposite sex, and how much trouble you could get in without being caught. It forced me to take a look at the frailty of my human body, and I had to come to terms with the fact that I was going to die, and it might be sooner than later.

My faith would not be where it is today without the trials of going through WPW. Your trials can bring you closer to God because I believe that’s where faith grows the most. If everything were easy, it wouldn’t take much faith and strength to get through life. We learn the most through our trials and failures.

Romans 8:28 is one of the most amazing verses in the Bible: “All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.” As I’ve detailed in a previous article, I used to think the term “all things” meant just the good things. After all, good things mean “God’s favor,” right? But the bad things can turn into blessings too.

How counterintuitive was that last sentence?

No, trials and tribulations are not fun. Let’s just get that out of the way. I’ve never gotten the hang of James 1:2… “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” I get the “testing of your faith produces endurance” part; I just never got the “consider it a great joy” part.

So, the WPW story got me thinking about other trauma in my life that God used for good. Divorce. My first marriage broke up, and if you’ve ever been through a divorce, you know exactly how much it devastates you and your family members. And I went crazy after it happened. I look back now and don’t recognize myself at all.

I was partying, drinking heavily, chasing skirts, skipping work with hangovers, and living the complete opposite of what I thought was right. I had plenty of blackouts where I couldn’t remember what I did the night before. I remember passing out in the bathroom doorway, my upper body on the family room carpet and the lower half of myself still on the tiled floor in the bathroom.

I don’t know if I ever got to a point where I hit rock bottom. However, I do know when it turned around. I was doing laundry one day and putting clothes in my dresser. I peeked out the window and looked down the street at my hometown church and swear I heard that “still small voice” say “it’s time to come home.”

It was a long road back to a right relationship with God, but it started there. I’m grateful that I had to go through that period too. Do you know why? It’s because I found out once and for all that the “pleasures” of this world offer NO peace, whatsoever. I was miserable.

I was a prodigal son. If you are, it's time to return home.

Remember the story of the prodigal son? I WAS the prodigal son. The father in that story didn’t shun his long-lost son. He RAN to him and embraced him. He couldn’t have been any happier at that moment. God is the ultimate Father and can’t wait to run to you when you return to Him.

If you’ve lost your way, He’s waiting for you to come home to Him. Repent, turn away from your sin, and turn to the Lord.

If you aren’t a follower of Christ, take it from an old party animal. There is no peace in what the world has to offer. There’s no lasting satisfaction in a fallen world that you will one day leave anyway. Christ offers a way for you to know without a shadow of a doubt what will happen after you die.

Imagine passing away and waking up in Heaven. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” In layman’s terms, you and I cannot legitimately imagine the joy waiting in Heaven. Faith in Christ unlocks the key to the gates of Heaven.

You can’t earn your way into Heaven. However, the good news is you don’t have to.

Back on point: I never thought I’d come to be thankful for two of the most traumatic events in my life. Romans 8:28 came alive to me, and I will be forever grateful for that.