The Heart

What's the heart of a man? Is it simply the organ inside of a body that fuels life, or is it more than that? Frankly, the term "the heart" has always been a bit confusing to me. I learned about the heart in science classes growing up, but I also learned about it in other places too. I learned about it in church, and I learned about it in sports. In church, I was always told that if I asked Jesus to "come into my heart," He would "make a home there" (Christians definitely have the weirdest way to phrase things). That was something we NEVER talked about in science class. In sports, we were taught to have the "heart of a champion" and to "play with heart." These were strange concepts to me, as well, because anytime I would hear those phrases, the only thing I could think of was the movie Rudy, for some strange reason. I guess he had a good heart, but that never really helped me with anything. There was just something missing between science class, sport, church and love. 

This always left me wondering, therefore, what is "the heart" and what does it do? . . . besides pump my blood. It seems like there are different sides to the heart. There's the physical side that we all know and love, there's the spiritual side, the emotional side and, of course, the love side. It seems like a lot for a small organ the size of my fist to be in charge of. 

Yesterday, I wrote about the importance of taking care of what's on the inside of a person, being the heart, the mind and the soul. Now, I want to wrap that up by writing about each of these things individually, starting with the heart.

How can we take care of the heart when it seems there are so many different sides to it and so many different beliefs about it? How can we take care of what is taking care of us? I believe the answer is giving life. I believe the key to taking care of the heart is by giving it life, just as it gives us life. Give your heart something to live for:

Physically: As your heart pumps blood through your body to your muscles and organs, use those muscles and organs. Give your heart a reason to keep sending blood to the rest of your body. Go outside and sweat, work and play. Enjoy the blessings of a body full of life and use the life it gives you to give life right back to it.

Emotionally: What gives you life? Who gives you joy? Find these things and these people and invest in them, love them and be thankful for them. The "heart of a champion" and a heart that's in love are hearts full of passion and selflessness. If we emotionally invest in the people and passions in our lives, surely our hearts can experience life. 

Spiritually: There is no greater joy I've found in my life than when my heart is living for something Greater than me. It's hardwired into me that I experience true life when I'm not living for myself, but for Someone and Something that is much greater than me. It's far more than having Jesus "make a home in my heart." It's about Him giving me a completely new heart and living not only for Him, but because of Him. This is where life is really experienced and where my heart has not just something to live for, but Someone to live for. 

Take care of your heart. It keeps you alive, after all.

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: Give the heart life, just as it gives us life. 

If it's what's on the inside that counts, why don't I count it?

There's an old, country song by Lonestar called 'Front Porch Looking In.' It's a great tune, if you're into the whole country/western scene. It's about a man who has a great piece of open land to work and farm with a great view from his porch (sounding like most country songs at this point); however, the catch comes when the writer claims that his best view is actually the view from his front porch looking into his home where he can see his wife, kids and family. Essentially, it's a song that speaks to the idea that it's what's on the inside that counts.

We've all heard that saying before: "It's what's on the inside that counts." It's a saying we use to point to the heart of a person, rather than what's on the outside. It's been a saying used to overcome racism and so much more. Being such an important saying that I reckon most everyone would agree with in some form or fashion, it amazes me at just how little we in fact work to take care of what's on the inside.

If it's what's on the inside that counts, why don't we take care of it as much as we take care of our outside? Why don't we make taking care of our hearts, minds and souls a priority? It's so easy to take care of the outside. After all, that's what everyone sees, so that's what should matter the most, right? Everyone can see hair, clothes and skin, so we wash it, brush it and clothe it with the best we can afford. It's a priority to shower every day and put deodorant on (as it should be, especially if you're a man), but why isn't it a priority to wash and cleanse the heart, mind and soul every day?

A big personal conviction of this comes with going to the gym and eating healthy. I'll spend anywhere from an hour to two hours a day at the gym, making sure my body stays fit, while I'll spend (maybe) 20 minutes reading, writing or reflecting in order to assure my 'insides' are doing okay. I'll spend lots of time at the grocery store trying to pick out healthy-ish items I can put in my body to assure I'm receiving all the nutrients I need, but how much time do I spend looking at what I'm putting into my heart, mind and soul to assure that those aspects of my life will remain healthy? Not much, I can tell you that.

It even comes down to when someone asks how I am. My outside is fine, so I say I'm fine. I'm feeling physically good, so I must be good. But what about what counts? What about the inside of the man? Odds are, they aren't usually as good because I don't spend as much of my time taking care of what's on the inside compared to what's on the outside, and I won't tell anyone about that part of my life because that's only for me to know. 

If it's what's on the inside that counts, I should be more apt to care about what I'm putting 'inside' of me (and I'm not just talking about vegetables). If I want my heart, mind and soul to be healthy, it's important to exercise those areas of life just as much, if not more than, I exercise my physical self. When someone asks how I am, maybe it's time to be honest about how I am, both on the outside and the inside. I just want to be healthy, and I want you to be too. Let's take care of our insides this week. 

-Cliff

Cliff's Note: If it's what's on the inside that counts, count it, take care of it, and exercise it.