“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” (Mt. 22:37)

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first proclamation to make February American Heart Month. With the ongoing, global COVID pandemic, paying attention to our heart health carries even more importance since the virus impacts the heart.

One of my first jobs out of college was working for an Area Agency on Aging. I monitored the nutrition program, among other things, and I learned about the importance nutrition has on our heart health. Even before that job, I was interested in taking care of my heart because of the health problems run in my family. All four of my biological grandparents had heart problems, and three of my mom’s five brothers have now passed away from heart attacks.

Not only is the heart an important organ, but it is also (metaphorically) the core of who we are. The Bible mentions the heart hundreds of times. In Biblical times, people thought the heart controlled decision making, emotions, and thought processes. The Bible has plenty to say about the heart:

• “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Prov. 4:23)
• “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt. 6:21)
• “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” (Mt. 12:34)
• “A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.” (Prov. 12:2)
• “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.” (Lk. 6:45)

This is just a sampling of the verses that refer to the heart as the center of our being, where we house our true motives and feelings. We know from Scripture that God renews our heart and our mind when we confess impure motives: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Prov. 51:10). This means giving up something we know is wrong (lying, envy, looking at something we know we shouldn’t) and giving it to God.

When we place our trust in him, he will show us the way and not let us down: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). He will strengthen our hearts (our spiritual and emotional center) even while our body fades 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 my heart and keeping me steadfast in you. I pray you will sustain me as I deal with physical deterioration. Strengthen my trust in you. Amen.