A Healthy Heart

Last week was a sweet, precious, relaxing time with my husband. Every day we found time to just “be.” We sat by the lake and enjoyed the sun reflecting off the water and witnessed the rare sighting of a bald eagle swooping down to secure his afternoon snack. We experienced a continual peace that comes from knowing that your life and your future is literally in the hands of a good and faithful God, who apparently has a plan.

The week prior, a heart catheterization revealed that my husband, Dana, had 90%  blockage in one major artery and 100% in the other two, yet he never suffered a heart attack and passed his stress test with flying colors. Doctors and nurses alike told us that he should not be alive with that kind of blockage. Their only explanation, “God isn’t finished with you yet.” They sent him home to rest and prepare for a quadruple bypass the following week. So we went home filled with gratitude to God for sparing his life. And we rested quietly, praising God for his mercy, and thoroughly enjoying our time together.

I suppose knowing God had spared his life on multiple occasions helped us to feel at ease about the upcoming surgery. The prayers of many wonderful, caring people held us up as we waited and even the day of surgery, there was an inexplicable peace, but as I waited with family and friends, I felt an extreme need to find a quiet place to sit in awe at the feet of the One who was truly in charge of the way our day would end.

During this time of meditation, I envisioned the heart of my husband in the hands of the surgeon and the surgeon in the hands of my Savior. Medical science is a wonderful thing, but without God’s decision to spare Dana’s life, none of that mattered. What’s more, the skill of the surgeon to “re-plumb” and save Dana’s heart…a miracle beyond my comprehension… so that we could have more time together this side of eternity was insignificant compared the importance of the Great Physician, who has the ability to “re-shape” our hearts in preparation for life with Him here now AND throughout eternity.

I also pondered how our hearts often seem healthy on the outside because we are “passing the tests” just like Dana did at the cardiologist office. We can do a lot of things right and feel we are passing the test for heaven, but a godly heart isn’t a heart that is always doing things right. It is a heart through which the Spirit of God can freely flow. When Dana allowed the cardiologist to look inside of his heart, the blockages were discovered that could have taken his life on multiple occasions. We must become vulnerable enough to allow God to examine us deeply and see what might be stopping the flow of God’s Spirit and threatening our spiritual life. By allowing Him to re-plumb our heart so that the Holy Spirit has the freedom to guard, protect and guide us, we will never need to fear, because we will walk into eternity with Him when He calls us home.

I am sure that, 5 days post op, Dana would tell you that a heart renovation is no walk in the park. Many adjustments to normal life must be made. You don’t just hop up and start where you left off, but you rest and listen and obey the instructions you are given. From the beginning, consent forms were being signed, one after another, stating that you understand the changes that are coming. But these changes mean LIFE. No changes are made without your consent. The Great Physician waits for your permission to enter your heart and your life. Are you ready to open your heart to be re-shaped to house the Spirit of God? Are you ready to allow him free flow through your thoughts and attitudes and pass-times and expenditures? If you are, you can expect LIFE to be abundant and free, without the fear of death. New life will emerge and you will not regret it!

“Look! I am knocking at the door.

If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in

And we will enjoy a meal together as friends.”

Revelation 3:20

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

John 10:10