Be A Miracle!

We had Shorter’s graduation this past weekend. They keep getting bigger and bigger; we graduated around 450 students from our traditional and professional studies programs. This was a special graduation in several ways. It was the last graduating class from Shorter College. Our December graduates will be the first graduates from Shorter University. You can learn more about the University Celebration at the Shorter Website.


It was a special graduation for another reason; we honored Jacob Edfeldt with a posthumous degree. Jacob was quite a guy. He was born with a heart defect and had two heart-transplants, the second occurring while a student at Shorter. He came to Shorter in the fall of 2006 and immersed himself in the life of Shorter College. He was in a fraternity, he was on yearbook staff, and he helped the Admissions Office with tours for prospective students.

Jacob was liked very much on campus. His attitude and sense of humor endeared him to just about everyone. You never knew if he was having an issue with his health, he always had a great attitude. He was with me a few days before the second heart-transplant. Jacob, Scott Howard and Hannah Orr were with me and Libby Grimes at a reception for prospective students in Cumming, GA. Jacob was his usual self, cracking jokes and making the prospective students aware of how great he thought Shorter was. I didn’t learn until later from Scott and Hannah that Jacob was not feeling well that night.

He always said it was great being at Shorter because he felt like a normal college student. The truth is, Jacob was anything but normal. I think his heart condition gave him an appreciation for life and the everyday opportunities that are presented to each of us.

When we called his name at graduation on Saturday, his family came up to the stage to get the diploma with a standing ovation and tons of tears. I know it must have been incredibly difficult for them; you could see the mixture of pain, loss, pride and love on each of their faces. As a parent, I cannot understand how they deal with this great loss.

As I watched this scene unfold and saw the tears flowing from almost everyone, I was reminded of the story in Acts 9:36 when Tabitha died. Peter was summoned to see if he could help. When Peter entered the room, the Bible says that there was a group of widows standing there crying, showing him the tunics and other items of clothing that Tabitha had made for them. That verse sticks out to me every time I read it. Peter asked them all to leave and then performs the miracle to raise her from the dead. Raising her from the dead is Peter’s miracle in this text. But to me, there is another miracle that is evident. The actual life that Tabitha lived was also a miracle. She was a miracle for those women; she looked after them and cared for their needs. In a world that is so focused on “me, myself and I”, she showed love and compassion to the “least of these.”

Jacob’s life was a miracle in many ways. He survived two heart-transplants, but more importantly the way he lived his life was a miracle in the lives of everyone he encountered. He was funny, he was caring and he appreciated the people and things around him. He left a positive influence on all who met him. I hope Jacob’s family understands that the standing ovation on Saturday was testimony to the miracle that Jacob was in each of our lives. My life, for one, has been blessed because I knew Jacob Edfeldt.

I hope I will appreciate life and my loved ones better. Life is just way too short to take people for granted. I hope I can be a miracle in someone’s life like Jacob and Tabitha were in the lives of the people around them.