This article (used in part) appeared today on National Fox News by Rev. Bill Shuler, pastor of Capital Life Church in Arlington, Virginia and friend of the Arnold siblings. To learn more, visitCapitalLife.org.
In Denver, Colorado two brothers embraced before going into surgery for a liver transplant. Ryan Arnold,
age 34, was donating a part of his healthy liver so that his older brother Chad Arnold, who had an incurable liver disease, could live.
This type of surgery is rare and not without risk. After what seemed to be a successful surgery, complications arose. Within four days, the donor Ryan Arnold died while his brother Chad lived.
Ryan and Chad’s father fought back tears as he broke the news to Chad with the simple words, “I have some bad news. Ryan’s gone but we still serve a good God.”
When someone goes through unbearable pain and emerges with faith intact something in all of us takes notice. Faith emerges as less of a debate and its sacred nature becomes illuminated. The words in scripture, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” (John 15:13) are merely noble words until modeled in a hospital room where a brother’s life hangs in the balance or on a cross 2,000 years ago.
The Bible does not pretend that suffering doesn’t exist. The eleventh Chapter of Hebrews is known as the “Faith Chapter.” Within its contents are recorded mighty exploits and miracles. Also within its contents are those who took a stand and whose lives were marked by suffering even to the point of death. The Bible notes that ALL were commended for their faith....
In a world in which faith is often ridiculed or marginalized, Ryan Arnold, husband of Shannon and father of their three children ages 6, 4 and 1, simply lived out his faith. His words, spoken minutes before his surgery to his brother telling him that he was “worth it” caused us all to catch a glimpse of how God views us. His faith told him that love has the power to forever change the life of another. END
This is Chad talking now. One of the things I wrestle with most right now is that question of being worth it. It’s hard to see the value within me first, for Ryan to make the sacrifice he did and secondly, to see the future value my life will yield as a result of the borrowed time I am now living on. I think that’s a common struggle with anyone when they approach God. But he says we are worth all that He did for us. So I know that at least for me, I have to believe those words and make them real.