This devotion was originally published in The Heart Community Collection’s quarterly magazine earlier this month. Read all the inspiring and motivating stories here: The Heart Community Collection magazine.

Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. (Ps. 86:1) 

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first proclamation to make February American Heart Month, and for those with congenital heart disease (CHD), American Heart Month provides an opportunity to spread awareness. This year, CHD Awareness week is celebrated from February 7–14.

While I don’t have CHD, I do understand the importance of heart health. After college, I worked for an Area Agency on Aging as a monitor for the senior nutrition program, and several years later, I worked for a local nonprofit to implement nutrition and physical activity programs in cities and towns, schools, and businesses. Through these jobs, I learned about the impact nutrition has on our heart health.

Not only is the heart a vital organ, but it is also (metaphorically) the center of our being and what makes us who we are. The Bible mentions the heart hundreds of times. In Biblical times, people believed the heart controlled decision making, emotions, and thought processes. Today, we use idioms like, “Follow your heart,” and “The heart wants what it wants,” to express our feelings about something.

The Bible has plenty to say about the role of our hearts:

• “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Ps. 37:4)
• “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.” (Ps. 119:36)
• “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Prov. 4:23)
• “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” (Prov. 27:19)
• “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21)
• “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Rom. 10:9–10)

This is just a sampling of the verses that refer to the heart as the place where we house our true motives and emotions. Scripture tells us that God will strengthen our hearts (our spiritual and emotional center) even while our bodies fade away: “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Ps. 73:26). The older I get, the more relevant this becomes. No matter what physical ailments befall me, I know I can rely on God’s strength to see me through.

Dear Jesus, thank you for renewing our metaphorical hearts to face what each day brings. Help us trust and remain steadfast in you. I pray you will strengthen the physical hearts of those with CHD. Amen.