The Heart of the Matter

     What is one to make of a mind without a heart? When you think of such a phenomenon, does the Tin Man pop into your mind? Well, for some, the tin man is not some far-off, abstract character. Sometimes, we feel like the Tin Man. Just as he was looking for a heart, we may find ourselves looking for our heart to connect with everything else.

     This is something we have experienced personally, have seen someone go through, or, at the very least, is a concept that can be grasped. Yet, when I say the word “heart,” what comes to mind? What does the heart refer to; what does the word even mean? It is actually a Germanic word that refers to centrality. Yes, the heart is a vital organ. Yes, the heart is in charge of pumping blood throughout the body. More transcendentally though, the heart represents the innermost feelings or desires. Indeed, the Bible tells us to keep our hearts with all diligence, “for out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). 

“EVEN WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR HEART IS NOT CONNECTING WITH YOUR HEAD, KEEP YOUR EYES UP AND KEEP TELLING YOURSELF WHAT YOU KNOW YOU BELIEVE (PSALM 121:1-8).”

     Thankfully, the Christian Faith is not reliant on fideism (the idea that faith is independent of reason). Rather, the Christian Faith is both rational and emotional. Therefore, even when the emotions feel numb, we can affirm the principles attested to in the Scriptures. In the book of Jeremiah, we are told that the heart is exceedingly wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). This aligns with the truth expounded upon by Jesus Christ when he told Nicodemus that those who want to see the Kingdom of God must be born again (John 3:3). Furthermore, look at what is written in the Book of Ezekiel: “I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). 

     Life far exceeds the physical. When one experiences numbness, anxiety, depression, and the like, there is something spiritual taking place. Just like a law of logic has more to it than sound waves, so does mental health have more to it than chemistry. 

     The heart is an amazing and exceedingly beautiful organ. Look how The Lord has perfectly crafted the heart in order to sustain our physical existence. Yet, how does one understand what the heart does? We understand what the heart does because The Lord has also given us minds capable of rationality to understand such things. We understand that blood starts out in the right atrium, is  pumped to the right ventricle, travels to the lungs to be oxygenated, then goes to the left atrium and left ventricle before traveling through the aorta to be pumped to the rest of the body why? Because God gave us the logic necessary to understand such a process. Still, how this all takes place in real time and works in unison with everything else going on, including consciousness, is far beyond our comprehension. 

     Considering all that has been stated, the heart of the matter is this: we do not exist for ourselves, but for God. We do not exist to fulfill our own purposes, but God’s. His purposes far exceed anything that we could ever come up with. Through infinite wisdom, it has pleased God to tell us through His word that “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Therefore, confess and believe. Even when you feel like your heart is not connecting with your head, keep your eyes up and keep telling yourself what you know you believe (Psalm 121:1-8).