Matter of the Heart

Well, I have joined the ranks of millions of Americans who have a stent in one of my coronary (heart) arteries. I did not have a heart attack, but I did have symptoms that deserved attention. 

For over 30 years as a paramedic and as a nurse I have told others about how to take care of themselves.  I have talked to groups and individuals about risk factors and healthy lifestyles. I have taught more CPR classes than I can remember. (I met my wife at one.) I know about heart disease! 

NO, I do not eat like I should and I don"t exercise like I should. But I do try to do decent with my choices. OK, I am going to do better now. 

For the record, I do not like the word blockage. It indicates, well, blockage; as in no passage. My coronary artery was not "blocked", it was "restricted". Yes, there is sarcasm in that analogy. The term blockage is used to describe restrictions as well. All to say, they found that my Left Anterior Descending artery had a restriction of about 80 - 90% about half way down. (About where the "3" is in the diagram.) They were able to place a stent in the artery to open it and restore unrestricted blood flow to my heart.  Thank you Dr. Stanley! 

So, where did all this start? Actually, it probably started in 1929 (or before). My father was born in 1929 and much of my cardiac issues are inherited. Dad had heart disease for many years. It's genetically passed down. Lucky me! OK, not what you wanted to know. I actually began noticing back in April 2013 that when I walked my dog I occasionally would have some shortness of breath. It was not like I was out of shape, I am, but this was different and I knew it. As it was only occasional, I blew it off. Then the shortness of breath got more frequent and was being accompanied by chest pain. Red Flag! So, I made an appointment with Dr. Larry Wade, my internist, and we discussed it over my NORMAL EKG. However, with my family history and symptoms, he referred me to Dr. Stanley; a Cardiologist. A plan was made and carried out and now I am good to go. 

I say all that to connect a metaphor. You know, God does things to allow His presence to be known in our lives. He places people in our lives with messages. He speaks to us directly. He allows us to hear sermons and songs to impact our hearts. He does all this and sometimes, frankly, it falls on deaf ears, so to speak. I have seen Him even increase the volume of His message to me and I still ignored it. Just like my shortness of breath escalated to shortness of breath with chest pain before I did anything about it. God wants us to be in-tune with Him so that we act on His guidance immediately. When the Holy Spirit speaks, we should respond to that "still small voice" without having to be yelled at, metaphorically speaking. 

It really is a matter of the heart. God wants a relationship with us through His Son Jesus. And, any way you look at it, a healthy relationship is a matter of the heart. Give your heart to Jesus. Maybe this writing is God's way of speaking to you. Respond to His guidance with your whole heart. 

Luke 10:27 (NIV)
²⁷ He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"