Heart Health and Purity
Our heart is responsible for keeping every one of our organs in shape. This means that complications with the heart can be felt all over the body. An unhealthy heart may manifest in our respiratory system, our extremities, and our digestive system. People of all ages and lifestyles can make small changes in our lives to reduce our risk of heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends the following changes to better our heart health: stop tobacco consumption, increase physical activity, eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, reduce alcohol consumption, and minimize stress.
Likewise, a healthy "heart" is key to our overall spiritual health. The health of our spiritual heart for God impacts literally every other aspect of our spiritual lives.
We must nourish it: "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11, NIV).
We must keep it clean: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10, NIV).
We must protect it: "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life" (Proverbs 4:23, ESV).
Why?
Because, "The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (1 Timothy 1:15, ESV).
An Unplugged Lamp
A high-end designer lamp can be beautiful, expensive, and perfectly crafted. It might have the latest smart bulb and a stunning, elegant design.
However, if the plug is pulled just half an inch away from the outlet, the lamp becomes useless in a dark room. It has the potential to shine, but it lacks the power because it is disconnected from the source. It doesn't need to be fixed or repaired; it simply needs to be plugged in.
We often spend our energy trying to fix our behavior or decorate our lives to look more spiritual. But our light doesn't come from our own effort; it comes from our connection to Jesus. Abiding is the simple act of staying plugged into the power source. If you feel dark, cold, or spiritually exhausted, the solution isn't to work harder—it’s to check your connection. You may not need a new bulb or shade; you just need to plug back in to the power source.
"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5, NIV).
Crying is Healthy and Faithful
Many people tend to fight the onset of tears, when crying is in fact a natural and beneficial response to several common emotions such as grief, sadness, dejection, and even joy. Tears are triggered by our emotions, but they are also a practical and protective reaction from the body. We produce three main types of tears.
Basal tears are in our eyes all day. Basal tears are functional, lubricating tears that help improve our vision, focus, and fight against infection. A protein called lysozyme is present in basal tears. This protein protects against viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Basal tears contain oil, mucus, salt, and water. The oil prevents the tears from evaporating and blinking spreads a layer of basal tears on the eye’s surface.
Reflex tears are our eyewash tears. These are triggered by environmental irritants such as dust, smoke, and wind. These tears flush out any irritating material for our eyes. These are also the tears produced when we cut an onion.
Emotional tears flood our eyes in response to strong emotions and are similar to basal tears in chemical makeup but also contain stress hormones and natural pain relievers.
Crying has a number of other proven benefits as well. Crying has a self-soothing effect which helps us to calm ourselves, regulate our emotions, and return us to a more neutral emotional state within a certain period of time. Deep belly breaths from crying and sobbing regulate our heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing - all of which aids in recovering from stress.
Crying can cause our body to produce hormones that make us feel better. We release oxycontin and endorphins after we cry, which can help reduce stress, relieve pain, and lift our mood. In other words, having a good cry can improve our mood after we cry.
Crying is also a way the body rids itself of chemicals that are released in the body to help us cope during times of stress, but can have negative impacts when not processed out of the body. So, if we try to push back the tears or feel shame when we cry, it can have the opposite effect, inducing anxiety, depression, upset stomach, and heart-associated issues.
Crying is also an attachment behavior. Crying signals to others that we need help and support. Most obviously associated with infants and small children, research suggests that crying serves the same functions in adults, facilitating deeper social connections and community support.
That means it is healthy and faithful to embrace what we feel, go through the valley with the Lord, cry the tears, and trust in the promise that we will be blessed on the other side of what brings the tears.
"You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?" (Psalm 56:8, ESV).
"Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!" (Psalm 126:5, ESV).
"A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance" (Ecclesiastes 3:4, ESV).
"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death" (2 Corinthians, 7:2, ESV).
"For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling" (Psalm 116:8, ESV).