Physically, the heart must be in good working order for the body to flourish. When the body has a faulty heart, it affects that body in negative ways. I have a mitral valve prolapse. At times, I feel pain. When this happens, I know I need to listen to my body as it calls out for rest time. If I ignore it, the pain increases. Thankfully, I have learned to do what my physical heart directs me to do. Therefore, I recover and continue on with daily activity.
It’s no different in our spiritual worlds. Jesus said something of great value to His followers in Luke 6:45, “…Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” We have all experienced moments when we hear ourselves spew out negative words, angry, full of condemnation for ourselves, others, or our difficult situations. At the end of such emptying of negativity in our hearts, do we feel joy and peace? Of course not. Negative words damage ourselves as well as others, bringing more pessimism, doom, gloom, and growing anger.
How then, do we put positivity into our hearts? There’s no button to press that suddenly makes us “feel better.” The power to a positive heart lies wholly in developing an attitude of thanksgiving. I now share with you a dream I had this week. I dreamed a man was taken prisoner through kidnapping. He was put into a room with no windows. Lights were off. He could not see even a sliver of light beneath the door. In my dream the man was afraid. For a long time he was frozen in his fear, unable to move, breathing shallow. After a while he slowly put out a hand and felt the wall. He kept his hand on the wall for a long time. The man whispered, “at least I can still feel.” Then I woke up.
Throughout the day the dream stirred in my thoughts.. After a while the following came to me: at times we are each kidnapped by our fears, imprisoned in the dark because we cannot see tomorrow or the outcome of a bad situation. However, in our hearts, we grow either fear or peace. When we choose to focus on the dark, the fear only deepens, but when we focus on something positive, giving thanks for the smallest thing, then peace begins to replace the fear no matter the darkness. Maybe all one can say is, “thank you, Lord, I can still feel.” You see, the fact that you feel pain, sorrow or fear, is in itself a sign of life. Life is always a sign of hope.
When we choose to fill our hearts with positivity by concentrating on the things of God; like His character and love, His promises and grace, then fear of the dark takes second place. Instead, we feel His nearness. We feel His hope. It’s a matter of the condition of the heart. A spiritually healthy heart finds reason to praise. One can then say in his or her darkest moments, “thank you, Lord, I can still feel.” We can add, “thank you, Lord, you are in all our tomorrows.”
“Above all things, guard your heart, because it affects everything you do.” Proverbs 4:23
The days are growing shorter with the arrival of Autumn. Just a few weeks ago, when I would take our dog, Jack, for his first walk of the day, it was fully light at 6:00am. Yesterday was much different. We stepped out to a cooler and darker morning. Everything was covered in various shades of grey and gloomy shadows around trees, lurking in corners, and peeking from behind bushes.
As we were walking down one dark street, Jack paused to have a sniff at some interesting bits of grass growing between cracks in the pavement. As he slowed, I glanced behind me. Oh, what a surprise met my eyes! I was astounded at the beauty! The sky was painted in bright pinks and blues as a golden sun was rising to wash away shades and shadows. I stood several moments basking in the light. It not only began to brighten the day but also awakened my senses to joy and appreciation.
This is the same in our spiritual lives. The troubles of this world, if we’re not careful, can equate to a constant walking in shadows of gloom, forgetting that light will ever come again. I take great comfort in something Jesus said to His followers in John 16:33, “…Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows, but be of good cheer because I have overcome the world.” Jesus, and everything about Him, His own strength, courage, peace, and joy in the face of any calamity, is promised to be ours, too.
We may walk down a long dark street of despair, not knowing what’s around the next corner, but turn around, see Him there. Focus. Listen. Enjoy. Walk on in the comfort that the light of His love and guidance will indeed light our way again.
Yesterday the entire world heard the news that Queen Elizabeth II passed away. The United Kingdom and the Commonwealth are now in mourning as its people reflect upon her life and anticipate the sad day of her funeral. There are many things to be said about Queen Elizabeth. She met dignitaries, celebrities, and multitudes of common people throughout her lifetime. She experienced the horrors of WWII. Churchill was her first prime minister. She endured parental fear when an assassination attempt was made on her daughter, Princess Anne. She suffered family scandals (everyone has skeletons in their closets) with grace and dignity, comforted the nation in times of turmoil and hardship, and made everyone she met feel important. All of the above is most admirable, but there is one thing about her life that stands above all else, and that is her personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Queen Elizabeth was very open about her faith, often saying in her Christmas messages that she did her best to follow the teachings of Jesus. In celebration of her 90th birthday, the London Bible Society published a book titled, “The Queen and The King She Serves.” The Queen wrote the forward for the book herself. In that forward she writes that upon her coronation she, “asked the people of the Commonwealth and Empire to pray for me as I prepare to dedicate myself to your service.” In conclusion she quoted the words of a poem, “I said to the man who stood at the Gate of The Year, ‘Give me light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied, ‘Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.'” She also called her faith, “the scaffolding of my life.”
The Queen has now exhaled her last breath on earth. She inhaled her next breath in the presence of Jesus. All who receive Him into their lives, asking forgiveness of sins, thanking Him for His death on the cross, will live with Him eternally where tears nor sorrow exists.
It is an honor for all who ever met the Queen. Yesterday she was honored, too. It was the day the Queen met The King face to face. She was swiftly ushered into His loving and magnificent presence. Can you imagine her joy? What she now has is available to each person who comes to personally know Jesus. Salvation belongs to anyone for the asking. I hope you do. I hope you have your day of indescribable joy, like yesterday, when the Queen met The King.
I take our dog, Jack, out for his first walk at 6:00am. That time of morning is so invigorating, a lovely way to start the day. Whatever the weather the air is fresh and near silence surrounds us. We walk around the nearby lake glancing at moor hens, ducks, and seagulls enjoying their own welcome to the morning. Once in a while we see another early morning dog walker with his or her own furry friend enjoying the gentle waking of day.
Often, especially as days grow shorter, making the mornings a bit darker as they are doing now, I can see lights begin to come on in various homes around the lake as people begin their day. Some windows are covered with curtains, others with blinds, but many never cover their windows. Walking by, anyone can glance in and see what’s going on. There are people sipping their own morning mugs of tea or coffee. Television’s are on with flashes of world news displayed. Some are dressed for the day while others are still adorned in their pajamas. They are not concerned at all that anyone can see into their windows.
A verse in I Corinthians 10:31 came to mind this morning: “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” I learned this verse as a teenager. It impacted me then and it still does today. Just as homes with no closed curtains allow the world to see in, so our lives are watched by everyone we know. It’s rather daunting to think about — how we react in situations be they good or difficult, how we respond to the words of another be they words of praise or even cruelty, how we press on when we find ourselves in unwanted situations — somebody is watching. Someone is wondering if God in our lives is making any difference.
This brings another verse to mind. Psalm 19:14: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and redeemer.” Our own words affects our own behavior. If we speak harshly, our whole demeanor changes into something unpleasant to observe, but if we speak truthfully with intent to bring about good, our manner will be one of peace and serenity. Others may respond in calmness, too, when we display an even temper. It’s hard at times when injustices are done to ourselves or to others we love, but remember, with the help of the Holy Spirit, what our mouths say, what our eyes see, what our hands do or where our feet take us, inner peace and right behavior can remain intact. When that happens, it never matters who is looking through our windows.
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