Wholehearted

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Anyone who knows me knows that I read A LOT. In the last 18 months, I have read some excellent books well, I have another for you. 

This is one of those books you both hate and love at the same time, but the reason it resonates with me is that its purpose is to help us live more wholeheartedly.

Now, Ezekiel prophesied that when we became Christians, God would give us a new heart and put a new spirit in us; and he would remove from us our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh, but there is more to it than that. In Deuteronomy 30:6, it says, The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

Circumcision in the Bible signifies God’s covenant with Abraham and serves as a reminder of His promises and commitment to future generations. For the Israelites, circumcision represented their identity, obedience to God, and an outward sign of their spiritual status before Him. Circumcision involves removing the foreskin or outer top layer of the penis.

Our heart also has an outer layer around it called the pericardium. Its job is to protect the heart, so if it is to be removed, that means that to love God with all of our hearts, we must remove our protections and leave our hearts vulnerable. 

Three of the keys in Brown's book are courage, compassion, and connection. I love her definition of ordinary courage as "To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart."  In other words, courage is about vulnerability. 

So let's examine what the bible says about hearts

Ezekiel 28:2, our hearts can be proud. It is puffed up A puffed-up heart is bad it is a condition called cardiomegaly. It isn't a disease, but rather a sign of other conditions. It does not pump blood through our bodies well. Symptoms of cardiomegaly include:

  • Shortness of breath, especially while lying flat
  • Waking up short of breath
  • Irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia)
  • Swelling (edema) in the belly or in the legs

What does this mean to us? Well, breath is the pneuma or Holy Spirit, so if our hearts our proud, it is not operating as it should.

Arythmia is our pace or walk. A steady rhythm is a sign of a healthy walk. Arythmia, by its very name, tells us we are unsteady. 

Edema is the retention of fluids in our body. If you've read some of my posts about water, you know that it is critical to our spiritual health, but like air pride causes living water to pool and not circulate

Jeremiah 4:19 tells us that our hearts can be anguished. Broken hearts, traumatized hearts are in pain in medicine a heart in pain. What can cause heart pain? Chest pain can stem from a heart problem, but other possible causes include a lung infection, muscle strain, a rib injury, or a panic attack. According to Proverbs 15:13, such heartache can literally crush the spirit

Jeremiah 48:36 tells us that our heart laments. This would be the equivalent of broken heart syndrome. Broken heart syndrome is a heart condition that's often brought on by stressful situations and extreme emotions. The condition can also be triggered by a serious physical illness or surgery. Broken heart syndrome is usually temporary. But some people may continue to feel unwell after the heart is healed.

People with broken heart syndrome may have sudden chest pain or think they're having a heart attack. Broken heart syndrome affects just part of the heart. It briefly interrupts the way the heart pumps blood. The rest of the heart continues to work as usual. Sometimes the heart contracts more forcefully.

Finally, John 12:40 tells us we can have hardened hearts. This would be akin to arteriosclerosis, which is a hardening of the arteries by plaques. This can literally include the coronary vessels that surround the heart. Typically, these will increase pressure, make the heart work harder, and can lead to ruptures or aneurysms, which are literally holes in our vessels. Do you have a hard heart? Does it feel like it is about to rupture?

Fortunately, the heart can also be wise and steadfast and joyful and can act as a shield.

How healthy is your heart?

 





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