PROBLEM OF THE HEART

Feb.17,2008
A Journey Through Cancer
By Muffet Dolar Villegas
The heart of the problem
is the problem of the heart.

I have seen a lot of hearts lately this February. From red throw pillows to boxes of chocolate, greeting cards and red roses with heart shaped objects around them to express love and affection. Hearts are everywhere. It reminds me to search my own heart. There are things that I didn’t like to see. A big SELF is written in big bold letters.
Do you sometimes search your heart? If you are alone, sipping a cup of tea or coffee, a newspaper in your hand, do you take time to see what is going on inside your heart, even as you scan these pages?
The heart is only about the size of a fist. It weighs between 250 to 350 grams or less than a pound. But its size and weight belie its amazing strength and endurance. It beats ceaselessly at an average rate of 72 to 80 per minute if you are a female and 64 to 72 beats per minute if you are a male. A fetus heart beats even faster, 140 to 160 per minute. Its shape is like a popular valentines image.
The heart with its team mates of miles of blood vessels throughout the body, works tirelessly to take in nutrients and oxygen and excrete wastes night and day.
Its job is so crucial that God enclosed the heart in a double walled sac called pericardium. This is made of tough dense connective tissue layer which protects the heart, anchors it to surrounding vital structures and it also prevents overfilling of the heart with blood.
If the heart skips a beat, we realize how much we depend on this organ every second of our existence.
The heart is the center of debates and arguments for many centuries. The ancient Greeks believe that it is the throne of intelligence. Most of us think that it is the source of emotions. Yet the heart is more complicated than these.
As much as the heart is the center of life which pulsates within us, it also plays a vital role in what kind of life we live. Events and circumstances which are happening in the world today are much influenced by the condition of the heart. We can fill it with goodness which can protect the weak or with evil intent to harm, deceive or sow chaos.
Most of the world’s problems today come from the condition of the heart. They say that a nation’s destiny is determined by its leaders. But can the leader change people’s hearts? Aren’t we responsible for our own state of hearts?
David wrote in Psalms 139:23-24Search me O God and know my heart;test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
If there is an instrument that can measure the colors of the heart, what colors do you think would depict jealousy, discontentment, greed, selfishness, pride, kindness, humility, mercy, understanding or love?
God made our hearts so wonderfully. Only He can change what He has made. Again it’s a choice. He is too gentle and polite to force entry. But He is always willing if you like.