The heart is one of the most important and vital organs of the human body. Not only does it keep us alive with every beat, but it is also associated with powerful emotions regarding ourselves and others.
And it shows when you experience or feel these two emotions intensely. It shows in the way you communicate with others. It radiates from your body and can be felt by others who come close to you or just look at you. It can make you physically sick.
This can be hatred and anger towards someone, or even yourself. Have you ever thought that if you hate yourself, your body responds to you by attacking itself. Your mind and feelings are a powerful thing.
The heart is also the last organ to stop functioning when we die. There can be no brain activity, but you can still have a heartbeat.
Should we then not make taking care of our hearts the number one priority?
How do you keep your heart physically healthy? There are ways such as eating healthy foods, doing regular exercise, cutting down on sugar and getting enough sleep. These are just a few ways in which you can ensure that you help your heart stay strong. But you can do all you can physically and neglect the emotional side, and it will not mean that you have a healthy heart.
Anger, hatred, stress, depression, and even loneliness can make your heart sick, which in turn makes your body and emotions sick.
The bible tells us in Luke 6:45 that “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Does it then not make sense that if we are full of negativity, anger, and hate – we will manifest this in our lives.
It will be present in the way we treat each other, our family, and even the person on the street.
It can show in the way someone comments on a Facebook post, and influence others with what they say and how they say it. It can spread like a plague. I have seen many innocent FB posts that are positive or asking for help to start spiralling out of control, with just one negative comment.
And then the rest jump on the band wagon. It’s like a domino effect, it all just keeps going and going. Have you ever stopped to wonder that it says a lot about that person’s character and moral standards?
It makes me sad, because I wonder what that person and the others being nasty and negative have experienced to hurt them, and why they need to belittle others and hurt them with words.
Do they even realise the negative impact they have and how they affect the mood of the community, town and their own family and friends. Maybe they do this and want others to hurt because they are hurting? Or they need to forgive someone or themselves. Forgiveness is a powerful healing balm for the heart. Difficult, yes, but super powerful and free!
I am not saying that you are not allowed to speak your mind. We all have the right to freedom of speech, but what if we do this with empathy.
If anyone has the right to write us off for good, wipe us off the face of the earth it is God. But He loves us and has so much empathy for us. So, why do we then think we have the right to treat others like dirt?
Empathy and grace replace hate and anger with these two emotions and we will start feeling His peace in our hearts, body, and spirits.
His love will make you feel light, and happy and you will spread this to your partner, children, colleagues, strangers in the street and it will keep on having a chain effect. Wouldn’t it be amazing to walk past someone and see a smile on their face, and feel Fathers love, instead of walking past each other, ignoring them and missing the chance to maybe make an impact on that person. That smile, that little effort might be exactly what they need to be lifted out of a sad, unhappy place they are currently in? Or a silent battle they are fighting.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
If He was willing to sacrifice His own life for us, surely, we can be more kind, patient, empathetic, show love and grace towards each other? This is such a small act, in comparison to what He has done and is still doing for us every day!
So, here is a challenge, start with a smile, do it now, even if you are alone. Look into a mirror, or even your phone’s camera and smile at yourself. Say “You, I love you, because you are worth it, you are enough, you are perfect, and you are loved, always, because He chooses you every minute of every day forever”.
Kingdom News: A smile challenge
