Keeping Your Head Over Your Heart

Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the Lord.
(Psalm 31:24)

Oh February, the love month. The time for Cupid to shine a spotlight on matters of the romantic heart. A time of Rom-Com movies, bouquets of flowers, chocolates, and little red hearts. Many heads have been turned with sweet nothings whispered in an ear, sometimes confusing infatuation with love. Be sure to keep your head engaged! There is nothing wrong with sweetening up your sweetheart, but we will spend this time telling you how to keep your head, over your heart.

Do you have a healthy heart? Thirty-seven years ago, there was something off in my body. I had no idea it was my heart. Thankfully, after going to the doctor, actually several doctors, one doctor finally listened to me explain how I was feeling. Exercising has taught me the importance of noticing how my body is feeling at all times. This awareness of my body mechanics helps to quickly recognize health problems.

It is important for you to develop this kind of attention to your body, especially about matters of the heart. For several years, heart disease has been the number one cause of death for Americans, and that is something we shouldn’t take lightly.

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom (Psalm 90:12).

Most of us can look back and pinpoint one little decision that turned our lives upside down. Funny how one little hole in my heart was impacting my whole body. As the doctor diagrammed the shape of my heart on the small dry-erase board in my hospital room, one side of my heart appeared small and normal, while the other side took up the rest of the board!

After the first open-heart surgery, twenty years later we discovered there were actually three holes needing repair. The second open-heart surgery returned my heart and other enlarged organs to normal size. I praise God for the physician who listened to me explain how I felt. He took action and repaired the first hole. Twenty years later another physician listened attentively as I explained how tired I felt when I wasn’t physically exercising. He immediately got me help and the other holes were surgically repaired.

Thank God for caring, compassionate physicians who listen to their patients, they are a blessing.

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds (Psalm 9:1).

Proverbs 13:12 reminds us, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

Spiritually speaking, how is your heart doing? Do you have joy for today and hope for tomorrow? Is the joy of the Lord still your strength? Or does your failing spiritual heart need jumpstarting every morning just to get out of bed?

Spiritual heart failure doesn’t happen overnight, it is a gradual decline, and sometimes it includes taking our God for granted. Do you remember that feast at the mountaintop when you were so eager to learn more about God and read His Word? We can’t expect to grow our roots deep in Christ with occasional snacking. Reading His Word daily, with prayer, puts meat on our spiritual bones.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

So, what happened? Social media happened to some of us. If we are not careful, social media can be a conduit redirecting our time spent in prayer, to scrolling through everyone’s posts. “Draw close to God and He will draw close to you” (James 4:8). God forgives us when we ask. He is the Great Physician who is attentive, listening, and restoring our diseased heart.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

We must take action and spend less time on things that do not draw us closer to God. In and of itself, social media is not a bad thing, but too much of anything not focused on Jesus Christ puts our spiritual heart at risk.

Physical inactivity weakens the heart muscle and the same can be said for our spiritual heart. Engaging with others, serving others, and fellowshipping with others is invigorating to the spiritual heart muscle! And when others are serving you, be encouraging, offering gratitude and a joyful disposition whenever possible.

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another (1 Peter 4:10).

We are all different, and valuable to God in His ways. We must stop comparing ourselves to others. Pay attention to your heart and ask God to search it and show you anything that needs to be uprooted.

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness (Colossians 2:7).

When exercising, pay attention to your body alignment. Your head should be in a neutral position. In matters of the heart, don’t lose your head! Keep your head on straight and guard your heart! God wants all of your heart.