JIM'S GEMS - November 2011
“For one Iowa couple, true love lasted until the very
end. Married 72 years, Norma, 90, and Gordon Yeager, 94, died in the
hospital last week holding hands, one hour apart. The couple was
hospitalized after a car accident just outside of Marshalltown, Iowa.
They were given a shared room in the ICU where they held hands in
adjacent beds. At 3:38 P.M. last Wednesday, Gordon’s breathing stopped.
Though he was no longer alive, his heart monitor continued to register a
beat. The nurse told Gordon’s and Norma’s son, Dennis Yeager, that the
monitor was beeping “because they were holding hands and [Norma’s heart
beat] is going through them,” Dennis recalled in an interview with Des
Moines’ KCCI news station. “Her heart was beating through him.” Norma
died at 4:48 P.M., 70 minutes later. Gordon and Norma’s children say
they are glad the couple passed away this way. “They just loved being
together,” says Dennis. “He always said, ‘I can’t go until she does
because I gotta stay here for her.’ And she would say the same thing.” (Huffpost
Weddings, The Internet Newspaper, October 26th, 2011).
“Her heart was beating through him.” What a beautiful story of love and
commitment. Hopefully this reminds us that as followers of Christ, His
heart is to beat through our lives. In essence, due to the
transformation of our hearts, His breath becomes our breath. Our heart
“monitors” begin to beat in time with Christ’s. What a tragedy it is
when we stop following, or choose to never follow from the beginning,
this wonderful Christ. We find what happens when this occurs in Luke
9:57-62 (Please read this account sometime today). There, three
individuals choose to not follow Jesus for various reasons (excuses)
they give to Him. From that moment on, those with whom they came into
contact would never feel, see, or hear the heartbeat of Christ in them.
What about you and me? Are we disconnected from the true source of life?
Do we find that we have become bitter, crabby, mean, selfish, hateful,
or joyless? Maybe this is because we no longer are holding the hand of
Christ. Honestly, have we lost His heartbeat? We will know the answer to
that question this week. Hopefully, our lives will reflect Christ’s
heartbeat, instead of a life with no breath or joy!
Jim