I’ve lost count of the number of family and friends that have had stents installed. What used to require major surgery and long hospital stays is now accomplished through a very small incision. After inserting a guidewire into an artery, the stent is carefully guided to the problem. Once in position, the stent is released where it expands to keep a closed artery or another passageway open.
The geek in me is fascinated by the technology. The skill required to gingerly move the guidewire up inside a patient is truly mindboggling, especially from someone who’s always slicing off the tips of his fingers when using a knife or hitting my fingers repeatedly with a hammer.
But what just blows my mind is something called metal memory. The stent is made full-sized and then exposed to low temperatures. This cold shrinks the stent so much that it can go through an artery. At just the right place, the stent is released. Warmth from the blood re-expands the stent to the way it was made.
All this made me think about my journey through life. There have been many times that I’ve needed help. Help from God. Help from family and friends. Even help from strangers. I tried to hide it, but I’m a lousy actor when it comes to hurting inside.
Maybe, just maybe, I need a stent from God. Maybe we all need a stent from God. Someone who will re-open the clogged arteries of our past. Our hurts. Our failures. Our disappointments. Someone who can bring strength and energy to a life that’s gasping for breath.
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24
This sure sounds like someone I want in my life. Someone I need in my life. How about you?