Twist of Fate

I ran across the following story in an news article on MSNBC’s website recently. In is one of those "Twist of Fate" things that reminds us that our actions can have real and positive consequneces of others and ourselves.

Seven years ago, Kevin Stephan (10) of Lancaster, N.Y., was a bat boy for a Little League baseball team. A player warming up accidentally hit him in the chest, and Kevin’s heart stopped beating. A nurse named Penny Brown happened to be at the game, and she rushed to Stephan and performed CPR. It was fortunate for Stephan that Brown was even there at the game that night. She had been scheduled to work, but was given the day off at the last minute. Here quick thinking and training saved a life; what she didn’t know at the time was that this would save her life as well.

Seven years later, Penny Brown was eating at the Hillview Restaurant in Depew, N.Y., when she began to choke on her food. When people realized that she was in serious trouble, they began to scream for help. Fortunately for Brown, working that night at the restaurant was one Kevin Stephan, now a seventeen year old Eagle Scout and volunteer junior firefighter. He rushed to Brown and performed the Heimlich maneuver. He saved Brown’s life-- the saved had become savior.

We live lives that are so interconnected with those around us. John Donne reminds us that none of us are islands apart from others; we are all “a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” The life we live impacts those around us, just as their lives impact us. As Christians, we must realize the influence we can have on others around us. We impact others as we serve God joyfully and faithfully. We are a blessing to others when we refuse to be negative or pessimistic. We add to the good in the world when we avoid gossip and criticism. We bless others when we thankfully focus on our blessings. And in turn, they become a blessing to us. The joy of the Lord will be our strength… and it can become the strength of others as well. The spiritual life that your positive influence will help save just may be your own!