During April 2017, my world literally stopped! At 49, I suffered not one, but two, heart attacks within four days. Once back home, I had plenty of resting time to hear from God. I laugh because I feel like God “benched” me. Timeout to reevaluate my life, stop, rest and listen.
My healing process continued and I found myself getting depressed. Sixty-five percent of heart attack survivors deal with depression. You begin asking questions to the wind, "Will it happen again, did the surgeon correct it right?" One Sunday, as I watched Pastor Steven Furtick online, his topic was “Renaming Your Fight." He explained, “We don't have to live with labels.” That moment my depression lifted; my heart attack became my “Hope Attack!"
Hope doesn't always come naturally. We must remind ourselves of the power we have to change our situation and to not live with a label. Hope is the desire for something good in the future.
For me, hope is a reality, not a feeling. Hope is a sure foundation upon which I base my life, believing God always keeps His promises. Therefore, hope is a confident expectation or assurance based upon a sure foundation of joy and full confidence.
Tracie was nominated for the American Heart Association’s 2021 Go Red for Women Woman of Impact. Visit TracieJones.com.
