Ah, the heart. What a beautiful thing it is.
Ha. Not always.
We do all sorts of things to damage and destroy our hearts. Some people smoke. Others eat unhealthy foods which clog the arteries leaving the heart. People drink entirely too much caffeine, which can cause damage to the heart, too. On the other hand, some people are innocent bystanders to health problems. Many people are born with holes in their hearts, heart murmurs, or valve defects which can require surgery and inhibit the person’s health for long amounts of time. People develop defects later in life, too, which have nothing to do with their eating or exercise habits. The heart–the body’s central source of life–can seem so fragile when we look at it this way. Easily damaged. Important to maintain.
During one of my most favorite episodes of Grey’s Anatomy introduces us to an elderly gentleman and his wife and takes us through yet another heart surgery for the wife to endure. Upon meeting the wife, many of us would find her attitude appalling, the treatment of her husband verbally abusive. She uses no manners and complains about everything. He simply submits. As we watch the episode, we also learn that the wife was no stranger to openheart surgery. As the hospital interns watch the surgery, we see a fire spark in the surgery room and the woman’s heart actually catches on fire. ON FIRE! The surgeons and onlookers stand with a jaw-dropped gaze as a quick-thinker extinguishes the fire. Dr. Burke and George inform the gentleman of the incident and proceed to tell him that they were able to complete the operation successfully, despite the unexpected flames.
The gentleman laughs hysterically.
He tells the interns (and us, the audience) that his wife had been through several openheart surgeries, each of which they were expecting her to not survive. He laughs at the fact that, even though her heart caught fire, she still is expected to survive. Then, he leaves his wife. Right there. Tells them to tell her that he’s gone. Just like that. It’s a stunning scene.
Ah, the heart. The strength of the heart can be hysterical laugh-inducing.
None of us are strangers to heartbreak. Our hearts have been figuratively broken repeatedly and damaged to the point of severe disrepair. We’ve set our sights on material things, aimed for money and fame and fortune and approval from those around us. We’ve desired tangible things and refused to help those around us. In short, we’ve failed and our hearts have suffered as a consequence.
Fortunately, we have a Surgeon who is the most expert of all because He created the heart to begin with. He knows everything there is to know about our spiritual hearts. He heals. He redeems. He cleanses. And, yes, He can set a fire within. This fire can be the best thing for our spiritual hearts. It can purge impurities, redirect focus, drive a person to love others, and provide the passion it takes to change the world. The fire can set the stage within a heart for what is to come: God’s will for that person and the world around that person.
Oh! that God would reignite the fire and fan the flames in my heart so that I might be purged, refocused, and driven to love others and change the world for His glory alone.