On Tuesday morning, May 27th my dear friend Terry Ford was rushed to hospital suffering from a major heart attack. Terry and I serve on the Elder Board together at Fellowship Bible Church. It is a privilege to serve alongside him. In fact, he and I stand side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder each Sunday at the front of the sanctuary praying for those in need following our morning services.
Because he appeared in such great health, this was a shock to everyone. Gratefully, he is now taking it easy and nursing back to health. All indications are Terry will make a full recovery.
Because of his wisdom and generosity, we are about to receive a gift. Terry captured what God has showed him during and immediately following the heart attack. It is rare for such a great leader to give us a glimpse into their most intimate feelings during near-fatal times.
The following are 16 Leadership Lessons And Thoughts From A Heart Attack Survivor. These insights are as profound as any I have ever shared.
- Leaders Often Over-Evaluate Their Current Condition – “You may be sicker than you think. I’m 6’-2”, 185 lbs., have good dietary habits and exercised consistently for 35 years. My cholesterol has also consistently been in the good range. You may think there is nothing wrong with you. However, we are all born with an incurable disease called sin. You need God in your life.”
- Your Best As A Leader May Not Be Good Enough – “Listen to your body and realize when you are helpless and need others to help you. I was born with some genes from my father that essentially began working the day I was born to kill me with coronary artery disease (CAD). Doctors told me I was at risk because of my heredity, what I had inherited, but I looked and felt so good. I did not believe them because I was ‘doing all the right things.’”
- Leaders Face Constant Challenges Working Against Them – “In a similar fashion, I was also born with sin in my body. It was inherited it from my parents and goes all the way back to Adam and Eve. I looked and felt pretty good without God. Just like my own blood stream was ravaging my artery for 61 years, the sin in my body has been trying to kill me since the day I was born. Unchecked it would have.”
- A Leader’s Demise Is Usually Gradual – “My artery was slowly closing up over a number of years, lulling me into inattention. It was only until there was a rupture of the plaque which completely closed the artery. In a similar fashion, sin slowly closes you off from God. It lulls you into inattention until striking a fatal blow.”
- Smart Leaders Enlist The Help Of Trusted Experts – “Trust the experts who are trying to help you. When they rolled me off the ambulance directly to the heart catheterization lab, the doctor met me in the hallway and said, ‘minutes are muscle, do exactly what we tell you,’ and I did. No anesthesia, no time, deal with it.”
- Leaders Are Made Better Through Collaboration – “Cooperate with the people trying to help you. There was no value in me making any decisions once we called in the professionals. I did whatever they told me. They had my best interest at heart.”
- Arrogance Leads To Failure – “Do not try to take matters into your own hands when you have no knowledge or expertise. The nurses told me about a gentleman who insisted on leaving the hospital despite the doctors and nurses advising him he was having a heart attack. Ignoring their expert advice, he was picked up unconscious a few minutes later.”
- Leaders Cannot Accomplish Anything Significant Alone. You Need Help. – “You cannot fix the problem of sin by yourself. I exercised, ate right, got regular checkups, had good cholesterol numbers and did what the doctors told me to do. I could not fix the CAD in my own body.”
- The Greatest Leaders Have A Grateful Spirit – “Eat the food the hospital staff brings you. Do not complain. The diet is designed to help your body heal. Also, someone worked hard to prepare your food and then delivered it over miles of hospital corridors who will never be thanked.
- Leadership Faces Constant Challenges – “Just because you feel a little better does not mean significant damage did not occur. On my second day when I was feeling better was when my heart went into atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart beat. It took several hours for the medical professionals to get it back in control.”
- Leadership Requires Perseverance – “There are times when you must simply endure. The first 36 hours included two IVs and a balloon pump in my heart through the femoral artery which means lying on your back. The discomfort was high. I had to continually make moment-by-moment decisions to submit to the treatment despite the discomfort it brought.”
- Leadership Focuses On Others – “As you are able, engage the people who are serving you. They are real people with real needs. I was able to have several deep conversations with staff serving me.”
- All Leadership Assignments Are Temporary – “At this point, I needed a savior to literally invade my body and repair the damage. I could not do it myself. If the damage had not been repaired, I would have died.”
- Leaders Should Prioritize Things Which Are Lasting Rather Than Temporary – “A doctor did invade my body and repaired the damage. However, he could not take away the CAD. Eventually, I will physically die of CAD or something else. But Jesus can invade you body and completely repair the damage from years of sin on your emotions, body, mind and spirit. And in the process He can take away the sin, the source and you will never die.”
- Trust Is The Foundation Of All Healthy Relationships – “I had to totally trust the doctor to do what needed to be done. He was trained and experienced and knew how to reach my heart and make the repair. I could add nothing to what he was doing except to accept it by cooperating with him. Also, your family and friends will want to love you. If it does not impact your recovery, let them love you and appreciate their expression of love.”
- The Secret To Successful Leadership Excellence Is Surrender – “I also have to totally trust Jesus to do what needs to be done in my spiritual heart and life. I have totally surrendered my life to him and can do nothing to add to what Jesus will do except to accept it and cooperate with Him.”
Jesus wants to invade your life, will you let Him?
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