Before the scales formed over my eyes preventing me from reading, I finished an excellent book called Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell2. The author seeks to challenge our paradigm on what it takes to be wildly successful in the world. He calls such people, like Bill Gates, “outliers”, as they have distinguished themselves from the crowd. While not at all discounting hard work and discipline, he takes a closer look at the factors that led to their success. He suggests that each was the beneficiary of many opportunities presented to them, like having a teacher or parent who took an interest in them or being born at the right time in history.
That certainly describes me, not in terms of worldly success, but as being the recipient of opportunities and gifts. I am very aware of what others have done and what I’ve been given to get this far along in the healing process. Take health insurance, for instance. For a thirty-day period during January-February 2014, including my hospitalization for the transplant, my health care costs were over $300,000. I paid nothing. Not only that, but my employer, the Kentucky Army National Guard, has been incredibly supportive and given me the time and means to get healthy. I realize that not everyone has such resources.
I also have a loving and supportive family. Christi’s mom, Jean, is spending the first year of her retirement in Houston helping us. I didn’t earn or deserve that, but I don’t know how we would make it without her. My father-in-law is making sacrifices while she’s away, too, and even my sweet niece is affected because she doesn’t get the see her Nana.
Let’s not forget my health. Sure, I listen to the doctors and do what they tell me, but I had nothing to do with making my new stem cells engraft into my bone marrow. God is delivering healing and using my good doctors as His instruments. Although I am battling GVHD, I am aware that many others have it much worse than I do.
As a follower of Jesus, I, too, am an outlier. He has set me apart from the crowd, made holy by his sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). I didn’t receive the gifts mentioned above because I am a believer, but as a believer I acknowledge God’s grace and blessing in my life. The humbling and exciting part is that I can see more of the good work He is doing through this situation.
Just yesterday, following a day of appointments to treat the GVHD, again I found myself in awe of His work. I was able to encourage someone else with what God has done for me. But as I consider what brought me to that point in time, I am reminded that it has nothing to do with my abilities and efforts and everything to do with His. All I did was attend appointments and make a seemingly random choice on where to sit in the lobby. God did the rest and he alone deserves the glory.
Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.(Romans 3:27, 28 NLT)
1. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/outlier?s=t
2. Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers. New York: Little, Brown, and Company.
My prayers are with you. I am very proud of you and your faith in Christ. When you mentioned scales on your eyes I was reminded of the scales that fell off of the eyes of the Apostle Paul. You may have physical scales on your eyes, but spiritually you are seeing things very clearly. God bless.
-Randy Rose
Thanks, Randy. I appreciate your encouragement, my friend.
Galatians 3:24-26
24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.