God speaks to me so often through pictures….little snapshots I keep in my mind and heart as a reminder of who He is and what He does. God gave me another "snapshot" while in Mongolia that I wanted to share.
Meet Ariuka!
Ariuka is 12 years old and was one of the kids who had surgery while we were in Mongolia. This picture was taken at church a few days before she had her heart surgery. Ariuka and her mom both LOVE JESUS; it was a treat to have Ariuka sing some songs for us on Sunday after church. Even though we physically couldn't SEE Ariuka's sick heart, there were several visible things that were a result of her heart being sick. Ariuka had blue lips and fingers because she wasn't able to get as much oxygen to her body and she tired very easily. None of those things affected her sweet spirit though. She was such a joy!
(Holding Ariuka's hand as she went to prep for surgery)
God had so much to teach me through this little girl and this moment was the beginning of it. As I looked down at the difference in our hands I realized how much of an effect her heart defect had on her body. But the crazy thing to me was that this was "normal" for Ariuka….she didn't know anything different. This was the way life had always been for her. Little did she know, her whole world was about to change. Shortly after this picture was taken, Ariuka went into surgery to have her heart defect repaired. At the hands of very gifted physicians, Ariuka's broken heart was mended.
Can you see the physical difference in Ariuka after surgery?? Do you see those pink fingers?!?!
Talk about a miracle! The hands of skilled surgeons repaired Ariuka's physical heart on the inside, and the change manifested itself on the outside.
In this moment the Lord continued to speak to my heart:
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 2 Corinthains 5:17
In a physical sense, Ariuka was a NEW creation!! The old life for her filled with blue lips and low energy were gone, and a new life with pink lips and increased energy awaited her!
Oh, the similarities for ALL OF US in Christ!!!
The GREAT PHYSICIAN offers to heal our broken spiritual hearts. Although not all of us were born with physically broken hearts, none of us escape SPIRITUALLY broken hearts. Just as it would be a sad ending to the story for Ariuka had her physical heart defect not been repaired, there is a sad ending to the story for each one who chooses not to have their SPIRITUAL heart healed by the GREAT PHYSICIAN. Ariuka didn't do anything to "earn" her surgery, and we don't do anything to "earn" God's healing in our lives---it's a gift….a FREE gift! That free gift will change the trajectory of our lives.
Has your heart been healed by the Great Physician?
The story God was working in my life through this little girl didn't end there. What he reminded me of then and continues reminding me of today is that there is a VISIBLE change when we choose to let God heal us. He doesn't heal us on the inside for it to remain a secret. There has to be outward evidence of inward healing.
Ariuka's physical change will cause people to ask her about what caused the change in her life. God wants the same from me….because of the change He made in my heart, I need to LOOK different. I need to live my life in a way that other people notice the change in me. I need to look, act, speak, think differently than the world around me. When I am different than the world and people ask questions, it gives a beautiful way of bragging on my JESUS.
Jesus, may the evidence of You in my life be as evident to others as the results of Ariuka's physical heart being mended!
