Back in the mid-eighties, there was a series called "Amazing Stories". The creator was Stephen Spielberg. It was a kind of a Twilight Zone type of series. I never saw the original, but I rented the VHS with three or four episodes on it. One really stood out for me. The story, as best to my recollection, goes like this:
A man, played by character actor Joe Seneca, wakes up after being in a coma for over twenty years. Everyone is amazed because its like he's been asleep the whole time. They start to give him updates of the news and what has happened in the world. He starts to walk around the hospital floor. As he walks, he can hear what others can't. As he visits with patients, he has great empathy and there is a sense of peace about him. Along this journey, he also finds out he has healing powers. But each time he touches someone and they are healed, it takes something out of Joe.
As you can imagine, word around the hospital gets out quickly. People are asking for him to come to heal them. Joe explains that this is not what he wanted in the first place. One patient that had gotten his attention was a little girl around eight years old. She is terminally ill and she is dying quickly. Her parents reach out to Joe to save their daughter. If he doesn't do something, she will die within the next hour.
Joe goes back to his room to contemplate what to do next. He is feeling weak as he has healed several people. Joe knows that if he chooses to heal the little girl, it probably take his life. He goes back to the girls room one last time. Her parents plead with him to save their daughter. Joe finally goes over to the little girl's bed and he lays over her. Joe gets up and slowly walks back to his room.
As Joe gets into his bed, the little girl begins to wake up. She completely healed. The parents rush over to Joe's room to tell him what has transpired to find out he has passed away.
I don't know why, but the other night, I had a dream about this episode, one which I hadn't seen in over twenty years. I started to dwell on that scenario and began to ask myself the question, "Would I be willing to give up my life in exchange for a complete stranger?" I know it's easy to lay one's life down for a spouse or one's own child, but someone I don't even know? As I have played it over and over in my head, I still haven't come up with a definite answer.
Then I am reminded of my Savior, Jesus Christ. Scripture says, "God made Him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become be the righteousness of God." (2Corinthians 5:21)
We have unmerited salvation, because Christ was willing to take on sin our place. I have eternal gratitude for His sacrifice. I pray you continue to press into Jesus Christ and the Good News He brings! Blessings in the new year.
