“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 ESV)
February is American Heart Month. I’ve long been aware of the heart problems that run in my family. My grandma had a heart attack and bypass surgery when I was fourteen, and my grandpa followed with quadruple bypass surgery a few years after that. Almost all my mom’s siblings have (or had) high blood pressure, stents, or other heart issues.
In late 2024, my family history caught up with me, and I joined the high blood pressure club. As I’ve written about before, I had gone to the doctor for a regular checkup, and everything was fine. Then two weeks later, I had a dizzy spell, my blood pressure spiked, and it didn’t come down for three days, resulting in a trip to the ER and a follow up with my doctor. After numerous tests to determine if there was an underlying cause, and then a referral to a cardiologist, the cardiologist determined that there was no underlying cause, just a long family history of hypertension.
Today, I’m on medication that keeps my blood pressure under control. I’ve also added vigorous exercise at least twice a week at my doctor’s urging. Even though I walked several times a week prior to my diagnosis, it wasn’t enough.
High blood pressure can be sneaky. I didn’t have any symptoms other than the dizzy spell. If not for that one incident, I have no idea when I would have checked my blook pressure again. Probably months or even a year later at my next checkup. Left untreated, high blood pressure can weaken the heart and take a toll on the kidneys, leading to long-term damage.
Just as our physical heart is a vital organ that controls many things in our body, the Bible refers to our metaphorical heart as the epicenter of our life: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). The NLT version says it this way: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Luke 6:45 says, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
Guarding our hearts means that we actively monitor our thoughts, emotions, and influences: “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). That doesn’t mean that bad or negative things won’t slip through—we are still human, and sinners, after all—but that we will recognize it when it happens and take steps to correct it. We stay focused on God and the work he has for us to do (Proverbs 4:25)—namely, loving each other as Christ loved us.
Guarding our hearts, physically and metaphorically, is no easy task. Physically, we often need to make lifestyle changes, such as eating less salt and increasing physical activity, all of which takes time and energy that can be in short supply.
Metaphorically, we must ask the Holy Spirit for help. He can help us examine our thoughts, emotions, and influences, giving us strength and wisdom to stay off social media, avoid certain shows, websites, or reading material, and recognize when thoughts are not from God.
With his help, we can strengthen our hearts—both physical and metaphorical—to beat another day.
Dear Jesus, thank you for our physical bodies that do so much to keep us going. Please be with those who are suffering from physical ailments or chronic illnesses and bring them relief and comfort. Please help us guard our metaphorical hearts so that we can grow more like you every day. Amen.