I sat with my father in the hospital as they prepped him for heart surgery. A lifetime of arrhythmia, an intolerance to blood thinners, and a family history of strokes made Dad the perfect candidate for a new procedure — one with an extremely high rate of success.

The cardiologist detailed how he would thread in through Dad’s groin to enter the heart and deploy a small “patch,” sealing off a portion of the left ventricle where blood clots were at risk of forming.

“It’s a fairly simple procedure,” the doctor said. “But there is no such thing as minor heart surgery.” He then itemized all the things that could go wrong: infection. Heart attack. Death.

Dad said he understood the risks, but he had done his homework. He trusted the doctor. And this procedure held the promise of benefits that far outweighed the risks.

He truly wasn’t worried: the heart monitor vouched for him.

Fortunately, Dad’s surgery was a great success — a testament to his cardiologist’s skill.

Similarly, the Great Physician longs to wash away the sin that taints us and patch our problem areas. It sounds so simple… and it is.

All we need to do is accept Christ’s offer to create clean hearts within us. But there is no such thing as minor heart surgery. When Christ comes into our lives, everything changes and we become a whole new creation!