By: Donna Martin
The November sun tried to brighten my spirits as I walked into the hospital. “I was in the hospital this time 30 years ago”, I thought as I walked through the door. “That day was a lot more fun that this one,” I said to myself as I recalled the happy day that our daughter was born.
I twisted and turned through the maze of hospital halls and finally found the cardiologist’s office arriving just in time for my appointment. I signed in and was taken to the room to prepare for my stress/echo test. Soon I could see my heart beating on the screen and wondered if it looked much different from other hearts. Did it show signs of aging? Was it beating normally? I had no idea if it looked normal or not.
As I watched my exposed heart beat I thought of the words that God spoke to Samuel, “…for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b). Suddenly I felt ashamed as I thought about impatient actions, poor attitudes, and anxious thoughts that had filled my heart over the past few days. Today my heart was exposed to the technician and to me, but everyday my heart is exposed to God.
The Biblical concept of the heart includes our mental process, our emotions, and our will. Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Luke 6:45 states, “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 (NIV).
The results of my test showed that my physical heart was normal and for that I am thankful. But I don’t want the spiritual state of my heart to be normal. I don’t want it to be a worldly heart. I don’t want what flows out of my heart to cause pain, hurt, fear or anxiety for others. My daily prayer is “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). For I know this will be pleasing not only to God, but to my spouse, my family, and to others that I encounter each day.
The Martins currently present “Happy Together” Marriage Enrichment Events for churches and organizations. To schedule an event call Michael at 940-735-1515. They are certified “Prepare/Enrich” Facilitators and are available to work with couples on an individual basis using the “Prepare/Enrich Assessment.” They publish a weekly “Happy Together” Blog about family and marriage issues. You can order copies of their new books Dancing With Death and 366 Tidbits We Have Learned in 14,610 Days of Marriage, read, and subscribe to their “Happy Together” Blog by logging onto the Martin’s website at www.happytogethermarriages.com.