Some debts can never be repaid. You know the kind of debt I’m talking about. It is when one person, with no regard for their own well-being, risks health and/or life in order to save another person. 

You read about this kind of thing occasionally in times of war when the heroes of battlefields lay peril aside, ignore the fear in their gut and save a buddy from certain death. Every once in a while we hear about a valiant soul who dives into dangerous waters to rescue a drowning boy or girl (see Houston Texas this week). Sheer unadulterated heroism. It goes without saying that these acts can be acknowledged and certainly celebrated, but there is nothing under God’s domain that can be said or done to square an account of that magnitude.

 And I know exactly how true that statement is.

Twenty years ago this week I was the beneficiary of an act of heroism and in the intervening years I’ve been able to live a normal life, take pleasure in a beautiful marriage, proudly watch my daughters grow up, finish a successful career and start another career. My friends, I must tell you that those are the things that really matter in life and none of them would have been possible without my own personal hero.

On Aug. 27, 1997 Ann Ross of Madison, the wife of our family’s pastor Jim Ross, underwent an exceedingly painful surgical procedure in order to give me one of her precious kidneys. There was no guarantee that the operation would be a success and there was no way to know if she would have complications. There were no assurances that her children wouldn’t need a kidney later in life. There certainly was no guarantee that I would be someone who would turn out to be worthy of this highest degree of Christian compassion. All these things had to be considered before making a decision to go forward with the operation, and with all that on the line it would have been easy for the Ross’s to take a pass.

But they didn’t.

To be sure, the Ross family had been pillars in our lives well before 1997. They came into our lives in 1988 and were always the examples we sought to emulate. As you might imagine, it was an impossible standard to live up to, but the way they lived their lives helped my family grow and become stronger in Christ. Without them it would have been easy to stray onto a different path. So you see the act of donating a kidney to a fellow human in need was just another way for them to walk the same course they had always traveled. This is a family that lives its faith with conviction and provides leadership by example. They do not speak hollow words.

Of course this story has a few other nuances. One that stands out brightly in my mind is a van full of people going to Augusta to be tested to see if they would be the best match to donate their kidney. I must tell you that it was the most humbling experience of my life and to those people I am just as grateful as I am to Jim and Ann.

I have many debts that cannot be repaid.

When something like kidney failure happens, one is just trying to survive the next day. Put one foot in front of the other and think about doing things brick by brick. Once a successful surgery has taken place there comes the euphoric thankfulness of being restored to good health — and then the realization sets in that you owe a debt to not only your donor but to that family and to all those who volunteered to be tested. Much gratitude is also due to your own family members who gave every ounce of their support and encouragement through the darkest of days.

And then frustration sets in.

That feeling comes from not being able to do for them what they have done for you and it finally becomes clear that it will always be that way. Nothing you can say or do will ever seem adequate — in fact any attempt at showing gratitude seems woefully insufficient.

I finally came to the realization that the best I could do was to try to live a good life and help others when the opportunity arises. Needless to say there are many instances when I fall short but I keep on trying because that little voice in my head reminds me that I need to keep striving in honor of those who have helped me so much.

Thus I have come to this conclusion. Even though I have many unpayable debts, I’ve been blessed with much love, kindness and friendship in my life. With those beautiful things in hand I feel like the luckiest man alive, and so even though it is only August, it seems like Thanksgiving to me.

Email your comments to dar8589@bellsouth.net.