A Heart Problem
- The Narrow Path
- Mar 25, 2022
- 2 min read
You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say (Matthew 12:34, NLT).
A good friend’s mom recently underwent surgery to replace her defibrillator. She’s a perfectly healthy woman otherwise, but due to some trauma to her heart that was completely outside of her control, she requires this device to help her heart maintain proper rhythm when it gets out of sync.
Our lives are much like that spiritually, too. Many times, our hearts are damaged by some sort of external trauma that’s beyond our control, leaving us to manage the broken pieces and somehow try to make everything work together again as it was originally designed. This isn’t easy, and we can’t do it on our own. But when we don’t properly address a heart problem, we will soon have a thoughts, words, and actions problem, too!
The Gospel of Matthew reveals that our words aren’t the problem, but our hearts are: You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. When our words and actions are misplaced, it’s often because our hearts are hurting or broken.
Hurting people, hurt people. This is a phrase commonly used when someone experiences the outpouring of hurtful words and actions, but it actually describes the status of our hearts. We are all broken and have experienced hurt in our hearts. But until we begin to understand and acknowledge that what we are experiencing is a heart problem, our words and actions will likely continue to land harmfully on those around us, especially the ones we love.
When we finally reach the point of understanding that something isn’t working right, only then are we able to take the necessary steps to help get our hearts back in rhythm. And the only way to do that is with Jesus. When we seek Jesus and accept Him into our hearts, the presence of the Holy Spirit immediately comes to reside within us.
Much like my friend’s mom requires assistance to keep her heart in proper rhythm, we, too, need assistance to help our hearts function in the way they were designed. It may actually feel like surgery, a spiritual one, as it often requires us to open ourselves up in a way we never have before. But, if we are willing to say yes, the Holy Spirit will provide what we need to find a rhythm again.
Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden brought sin and brokenness into the world, and our hearts haven’t been the same since. Thankfully, Jesus knit us together in our mother’s womb, and He gave us the perfect heart. As we allow Him to heal our hearts, that will eventually be reflected in our thoughts, communication, and actions. And what was once a heart problem now becomes an opportunity to show others the love of Jesus.
Comments