A New Heart for Jacob

On Tuesday of next week Jacob will have his heart repaired.  For the first time in his life, he'll have a heart that supports him instead of having one that is killing him.  What will they be doing in there?

• His pulmonary artery will be cut open (it's currently closed) or replaced.  If they cut it open they'll graft on some other "tissue" to close it over making an open vessel out of it.  If they replace it, they'll simply install a conduit made of artificial materials or some of his own tissue.  Much of this will be decided on-the-spot by the surgeon depending on what exactly he finds in Jacob's chest (likewise for everything else).
• He'll probably get a pulmonary valve, he currently doesn't have one.  It'll be an animal valve, human valve, or artificial valve.  I say probably because there's a chance they won't put one in.  Apparently you can survive without one...
• His overriding aortic valve will be put back where it goes.
• The hole(s) in his ventricular septum will be closed up using tissue from his own body or something else.
• The shunt that was installed in China will be removed.

After this procedure Jacob's heart will be practically normal and he'll stand a very good chance of living a vibrant life.

To the casual outside observer Jacob is a normal little boy, active and mischievous.  His problem isn't obvious to everyone.  There are visible symptoms but they are subtle and most people never notice them until we point them out.

Once people understand Jacob's desperate condition, there is universal agreement that an intervention is appropriate.  All agree that it is fundamentally impossible for Jacob to fix his own problem.  Someone with truly unique skills must slice Jacob open and fix his heart for him.  It's obvious to everyone, nobody objects.

Jacob on the other hand has no idea what is going on inside his body nor does he understand why he needs surgery.  To him, Tuesday will be a very unpleasant day full of unwelcome people doing unwanted procedures.

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The other day I met a lady on the bus.  She has the same condition as Jacob, her heart is defective and it's slowly killing her.  It's been that way since conception and just like Jacob, she is clueless.

To the casual observer, and in her own opinion, she is completely healthy and normal.  Her problem isn't obvious.  There are symptoms but they are subtle and most people miss them.  I noticed, so I asked her about it.  The ensuing conversation confirmed my suspicion that her heart is malformed.

Unlike Jacob she needs a complete transplant.  She needs a very special person to remove her heart and replace it with a new one,  I tried to tell her this but she wouldn't have it.  She was offended.  The irony, her defective heart caused her to reject even the notion of getting it fixed.  That's how her heart is killing her, it lies to her.  It promises the world while leading her into her own grave.

Imagine that.  If we refused to fix Jacob's heart for some reason and chose instead to just watch him die, there would be public outrage.  We would be jailed.  However, these same people take great offense if I even suggest that THEY have a heart problem.  They would prefer for me to keep my mouth shut and just watch them die.

I can't do it...  Jacob is getting his heart fixed whether he wants it or not, because I love him that much.  Likewise, I'll go to my grave warning others that they need to get their heart fixed too whether they like it or not, because I love them that much.  I love you that much.

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Perhaps you're reading this and you're not quite sure what I'm talking about, it's because you have a heart problem just like the lady on the bus.  It's OK, I get it.  I had to get my heart fixed too.  It's simple though, here's what you do...

• First you have to acknowledge the problem.  You have a heart of sin.  It separates you from the source of live, God himself.  This is how David did it - "I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; And You forgave the guilt of my sin." Psalms 32:5

• Next you seek the help of a professional, In this case, Jesus Christ.  Call on him to save you.  Here's how it happened one night for a Philippian prison guard - "he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"  They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved" Acts 16:30-31

• Once you've done that, God does the rest - "I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."  Ezekiel 36:26

I love you, get your heart fixed.