More From Amber Marie Followell

Are we doing the ordinary things to claim the extraordinary in our lives? Recently I was given a reminder of how a small change could make a big difference. I began to experience heart palpitations. One moment all was well, and the next my heart would race or feel as though it had stopped beating entirely. I would feel winded for a moment and then all would return to normal. After dealing with this for a while and being unable to determine the cause, I knew I needed to seek help, and I went to the doctor. He set me up for an echocardiogram to allow him to see how my heart was functioning and determine if I had any major issues.

A few weeks later I got the call. I had an aneurysm. All I knew about aneurysms was that they burst and could caused death. Terrified, I quickly raced to set up an appointment with a specialist. I called everyone who knew anyone in the medical field because I was determined to see someone right away. I just knew that I needed a big fix quickly. I had an aneurysm. Those kill people.

I finally got my appointment set up, and as I sat in the doctor’s office waiting to see him I wondered how my life would change now that I had this ticking time bomb in my chest. The doctor came and told me that while I did have an aneurysm, it was a very small one — one that likely would never cause any reason for concern. I then proceeded to tell him about the palpitations I had been experiencing, certain that I was about to get a long list of rules about what I could and couldn’t do and possibly even a procedure set up to deal with the issues I was having. But no. He said simply, “Your aneurysm is likely not the cause of your palpitations. Your only restriction is not to pick up overly heavy things. To stop the palpitations, lay off the caffeine and reduce stress.”

To be honest, I was a little frustrated at first. It seemed too easy. I knew that it wasn’t too much stress, and I didn’t even drink that much coffee, did I? After my frustration subsided, I remembered the words of Naaman’s servant in 2 Kings 5:13, “Our father, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? All he said to you was, ‘Wash and become clean’” (CEB). Here I was having my own Naaman moment. I didn’t want to try to reduce my stress and drink less coffee because it seemed like too simple of a fix for what had become such a big problem in my life.  However, with the words of Naaman’s servant in mind, I decided to try it. Apparently, I drank a lot more coffee than I thought and stressed way more than I realized. I am now, about three months from my original diagnosis, and I very rarely experience heart palpitations any more. Yes, the aneurysm is still there, but it wasn’t the cause of my problems to begin with. My other problems just allowed it to be discovered and I thank God for that.

Remember to not discount the small steps that you can take to make a difference in your life. They may not seem like a big deal, but it’s so often in the ordinary that we have the opportunity to see and experience the extraordinary.