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Are You Having a Spiritual Heart Attack?

by Janet Stobie

This morning I read, “Though weighing only 11 ounces on average, a healthy heart pumps 2,000 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels each day.” A healthy heart is amazing. Poorly treated, our hearts will eventually malfunction. Our whole body may shut down.

In the bible, the word “heart” is used to represent the center of our thinking, emotions, reasoning. Our spiritual heart is the “command center” of our spiritual lives. Again, poorly treated, our spiritual hearts will also malfunction and then our lives get lost, twisted, filled with misery.

Like physical hearts, our spiritual hearts need exercise, nourishment, and rest to function well. What does that mean? Caring for others through giving with love of our time, talents and resources is fabulous exercise. Reading bible passages and discussing their relevance with others is excellent nourishment. Time spent in worship and prayer, or relaxing with family and friends gives us the spiritual rest we need.

The other day I asked my upset friend, “Are you making time for the things you know help you to feel good about yourself and your life.” She smiled and shook her head. Then tears rained down her cheeks. “The demands of family and work have taken over. I just haven’t the energy.”

When we neglect our own self-care, we experience spiritual heart attacks. Suddenly, we’re struggling to be the loving, caring persons we want to be. Jesus offers us wisdom with “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.” God has created each person to be spiritually loving beyond our wildest imagination. All we’re asked to do is love ourselves enough to keep our spiritual hearts healthy.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)