“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).
Some mornings, my husband turns my heating pad on before he starts his day, so that as I continue to sleep, the moist heat will start to soak into my spine which has stiffened through the night. If I don’t take the time to thaw my spine every morning, to use some heat, a hot shower and gentle stretching, my spine will be less flexible and more painful all day.
The joints in my spine may someday fuse into one solid bone; that is the proverbial mission of Ankylosing Spondylitis, the form of inflammatory arthritis I have that attacks the spine and other joints.
As unpleasant as fusion sounds, surely there are worse things.
What if my heart gets stiff? What if it becomes inflexible, cold, seized up? What if I don’t take the time to thaw out my heart? What if bitterness or resentment inflame?
To allow His warmth to press into my heart, I must shower it with awareness, service, compassion and thanksgiving. I must learn to see with His eyes and serve with His hands and continually count the ways He loves and cares for me.
If I don’t thaw out my heart, it may eventually fuse cold, hard, unyielding.
I must take care to ensure that doesn’t happen.
I must train it, like I train my spine to stand tall and to gently bend in physical therapy. I do home exercises, standing tall and making my spine make contact with the wall. This is painful.
I must also do my heart exercises. I must exercise it to care, to serve, and always to show compassion; to keep it in contact with His heart.
If I work daily with my spine, it may not fuse. If I work daily with my heart, it surely can’t.
Prayer: Lord, I know that the condition of my heart is more important than the condition of my body. Please continue to shape my heart to better reflect Yours. Amen.
About the Author
Jennifer LeBlanc lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of 9 years and their two young daughters. She has been living with chronic pain since 2005, and was diagnosed in 2010 with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks the spine & joints. In the midst of this “chronic” life, she also chooses to live with chronic gratitude. You can read more of her story at her blog, Live Art.fully: http://livelifeartfully.blogspot.com
You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com
What “exercises” do you do to keep your relationship solid with the Lord?
Some mornings, my husband turns my heating pad on before he starts his day, so that as I continue to sleep, the moist heat will start to soak into my spine which has stiffened through the night. If I don’t take the time to thaw my spine every morning, to use some heat, a hot shower and gentle stretching, my spine will be less flexible and more painful all day.
The joints in my spine may someday fuse into one solid bone; that is the proverbial mission of Ankylosing Spondylitis, the form of inflammatory arthritis I have that attacks the spine and other joints.
As unpleasant as fusion sounds, surely there are worse things.
What if my heart gets stiff? What if it becomes inflexible, cold, seized up? What if I don’t take the time to thaw out my heart? What if bitterness or resentment inflame?
To allow His warmth to press into my heart, I must shower it with awareness, service, compassion and thanksgiving. I must learn to see with His eyes and serve with His hands and continually count the ways He loves and cares for me.
If I don’t thaw out my heart, it may eventually fuse cold, hard, unyielding.
I must take care to ensure that doesn’t happen.
I must train it, like I train my spine to stand tall and to gently bend in physical therapy. I do home exercises, standing tall and making my spine make contact with the wall. This is painful.
I must also do my heart exercises. I must exercise it to care, to serve, and always to show compassion; to keep it in contact with His heart.
If I work daily with my spine, it may not fuse. If I work daily with my heart, it surely can’t.
Prayer: Lord, I know that the condition of my heart is more important than the condition of my body. Please continue to shape my heart to better reflect Yours. Amen.
About the Author Jennifer LeBlanc lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of 9 years and their two young daughters. She has been living with chronic pain since 2005, and was diagnosed in 2010 with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory disease that attacks the spine & joints. In the midst of this “chronic” life, she also chooses to live with chronic gratitude. You can read more of her story at her blog, Live Art.fully: http://livelifeartfully.blogspot.com
You can now read this on your Kindle. Find out more at http://TodaysDevotionOnKindle.com