Last night, the earth lost a mighty man of God. It would take a book to write the background of this young man, so I can’t really do that here. If you would like to know more, you should go to Fishers of Men Mexico and read more about his background and his family. You will also get to meet a lot of other awesome men, women, and children by doing so.
But back to Danny. About a month ago, Danny, only a boy of 5, went in for heart surgery because he only had half a heart. Because of this, his body did not process oxygen as well as it should. The surgery was designed to improve that situation. It was a very risky surgery, but very necessary. The regular oxygen saturation level in his body was only 70-75%. You would not be released from a hospital with that level, and yet that was a regular level for little Danny.
The amazing thing about him was that he didn’t let that stop him from being a little boy. He lived life to the fullest. I never met Danny in person, but I heard from people who did as well as learned about him from his mommy’s blog. He loved to run and play as every little child does. He also loved more than most children. My dad talked about how Danny jumped up in his lap even though Danny had just met him. We could all learn a lot from Danny about how to live and love.
Danny also had a passion for Jesus. His desire was to grow up to be a pastor like his daddy. Thus the need for the surgery. His life would definitely be shortened if nothing were done to correct his condition.
His whole life up through this point had been one miracle after another. He lived 5 years with only half a heart! Just getting approved for the surgery in Mexico was a miracle. And then it was free, and they met someone who lived within a few minutes walk of the hospital where his parents could stay when not actually at the hospital. Just one thing after another. That’s why I was fully expecting God had big things in store for this young man’s life. Why else would He preserve him this way? He was going to become a big time preacher and bring many to Salvation. At least that’s what my plans for Danny’s life had in store. But God’s ways are so much higher than ours.
During that month he was in the hospital, at least one of his parents was in the special lounge/waiting room 24 hours per day, sleeping on the floor or a metal bench with other parents of critical patients. During that time, his mom and dad ministered to those other parents as well as hospital staff. I’m aware of about 10 people making a decision to follow Christ in that room during Danny’s stay.
And lets not forget the hundreds of people who follow his mom’s blog, Facebook page, newsletters, and more. How many lives were touched for the good through Danny’s story?
So what is the definition of a pastor? Don’t they bring people to Christ and then shepherd and encourage them in their walk? Sounds to me like Danny did all that through his life, don’t you think?
When life has got you down, think about Daniel. No, I don’t mean think about how tough his life was and how you don’t really have it that bad. Instead I want you to think about his passion for life and how he made every second count and how he touched so many lives. That’s where real success in life is.
We’ll see you again soon Pastor Danny.