According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2019), the United States has a problem with heart disease. Take a look at these facts reported by the CDC:
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States (US)
One person dies every 37 seconds in the US from cardiovascular disease (that equals about 647,000 Americans each year)
Heart disease costs the US approximately $219 billion each year
Around 18.2 million adults age 20 and older have coronary artery disease
In the US someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds
About 1 in 5 heart attacks is silent (the damage is done but the person is unaware)
These are scary statistics. However, studies have been able to identify several key factors that contribute to the development of heart disease, including high blood pressure, elevated blood cholesterol and smoking. Other medical conditions and lifestyle choices may also increase the chances a person will develop heart disease: diabetes, obesity, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle and excessive alcohol (CDC, 2019). Given the availability of medical information and the prevalence of public health campaigns, you might assume most Americans are familiar with the risk factors associated with heart disease and therefore, are adequately equipped to head off the development of such a deadly culprit. But a quick review of the CDC facts paints an entirely different picture. I have been a healthcare provider for over 30 years. On any given day I encounter patients who are battling heart disease or are struggling with a number of key risk factors. There is ample evidence to suggest Americans can lower their incidence of heart disease by addressing some of these key risk factors. Yet we continue to battle high blood pressure and cholesterol, eat unhealthy diets, rank number 12 in the world for obesity and have 14% of our population that smokes. I have never taken care of a patient who said, "Boy, am I glad I'm not too healthy!". I think everyone would like to be in good health. But....sometimes it is SO hard. I am thankful that I have never been a smoker or had problems with high blood pressure, but healthy eating and weight control have been battles I have been fighting most of my adult life. Even though I KNOW how to eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight.....I don't always do what I KNOW to do. Even though I KNOW evidence shows that eating a healthy diet and keeping your weight under control helps avoid high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity.....does this list sound familiar? You bet. The best thing I could do to avoid developing heart disease, is do those things that I KNOW can promote a HEALTHY HEART.
Recently, as I have been praying and reading the Word, I have been focused on the conditions in our nation. I know the current events have been on many people's hearts and minds. I have been trying to prepare a posting for over a week but I just couldn't seem to get settled enough to write down my thoughts. Please bear with me as I share things that have occurred to me during this season. As always, my blog is not intended to be confrontational, but rather an honest, and at times scarily vunerable, representation of things I feel God is trying to teach me. Sadly, I feel our beloved country is suffering from a heart condition.
George Santayana was an influential American philosopher and author (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Santayana is often compared to Ralph Waldo Emerson in terms of his prowess as an author. If you are not familiar with Santayana, you might be familiar with one of his most famous quotes, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" (IPE). Sir Winston Churchill paraphrased this quote when he said, "A nation that forgets its past is doomed to repeat it" (LibertyTree.ca). The concept of a people suffering from a condition of the heart is not new. Unfortunately, we can look throughout history and document dark periods of pain and injustice. We cannot wipe out the past, but we can learn from previous situations and societies. People have always been, and will continue to be, just people. And all people have flaws.
In Matthew 12:34-35, Jesus speaks directly to the condition of the heart: "You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart." Jesus always looked beyond the external. He wasn't impressed with meaningless words, because He knew that what was in the heart would ultimately come out. This truth reminds me of the phrase, 'You can fool some of the people some of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time'. The truth has a way of revealing itself.
Last weekend I heard a great sermon from Pastor Robert Madu who was ministering from Elevation Church. The title of his message was "Living in the Tension". You can catch it on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7JbRH-WIZc). The tension he was referring to was the struggle for balance between grace and truth. John 1:14 (KJV) reads, "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth". The message was powerful! There was one statement that has rattled around in my brain over the last few days. Pastor Madu explained that Jesus was FULL of grace and truth. Not 50/50....but FULL of both. Here is the brain-sticking phrase: 'Grace without truth is meaningless, and truth without grace is just mean'. Whoa!! That phrase seemed so applicable in terms of what we need today. That delicate, but necessary, balance between grace and truth allows honest dialogue to pass between people. Even between people who may think they are polar opposites.
I was fortunate to be raised by parents who instilled in me the belief that ALL people have an inherent dignity and worth. My parents were both raised in small, predominately white rural Missouri towns. Neither of my parents went to college, neither ever attended a lecture on diversity, cultural sensitivity or political correctness. Their inclusive view of people was rooted in a single, foundational truth......ALL people are created in the image of God, and therefore, ALL people deserve to be treated with respect. Plain and simple....yet profound. My parents could certainly be seen in Matthew 12....for it was out of the abundance of their hearts that they spoke. Don't get me wrong......My parents had their own views and beliefs. But they understood something that people seem to have forgotten. You can hold opposing views with a fellow human being and still respect them. Maya Angelou puts it beautifully in her famous poem, Human Family: "I note the obvious differences between each sort and type, but we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike" (Wouldn't take nothing for my journey now, 1993). How have we forgotten the fundamental truth that people are just people? Each person unique and valuable. Each life worth living, regardless of color, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status........all people precious in God's sight. Psalm 139:14 (KJV) reminds us, "I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made....". My beautiful parents grasped the message contained in those words and they lived their lives accordingly.
Jesus commented on people who were quick to point out faults in others while overlooking faults of their own (Matthew 7:1-5). It is always easier to see shortcomings in others (truth), but it is MUCH harder to view those shortcomings through a lens of basic respect (grace). For example, you can't drive around with a 'Coexist' bumper sticker and then demand apologies from anyone who has an opposing view or a belief that contradicts your views or beliefs. The very term coexist means, "to exist in mutual tolerance despite different ideologies or interests" (Oxford Dictionary). So why is there such virulent hatred in our nation? The very fact that I used a 'Coexist' bumper sticker as an example is enough to incite anger from many people. But there are countless examples. For instance, you can't go to church and preach John 3:16 then turn your nose up if someone walks in your church who looks different than you. There are people on both sides of the aisle who are quick to judge. However, I do believe the majority of people truly want peace and equitable treatment for all. Most people want to coexist.....but to do so peacefully means we exist DESPITE our differences. In fact, it is our distinct differences that create the tapestry of diversity.
In the New Testament the Apostle Paul spoke to an argument that had arisen between Jewish (circumcised) and Gentile (uncircumcised) believers in Jesus Christ. Paul makes it clear in Romans 2 that the Jewish believers were focusing on the differences between themselves and the Gentile converts. The Jewish believers were focused on external differences. Paul tells the Jews that "true circumcision is of the heart, spiritual not literal" (CJB). In other words, a true believer could be identified by the change that had occurred in his heart. Both camps, Jewish and Gentile, had something in common. They had the MOST important thing in common: the belief that Jesus Christ was the Messiah, their Savior, the Savior of the world. Remember again the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew..."for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh"(KJV). Paul was teaching on the importance of the condition of the heart. King David understood the importance of maintaining a healthy heart. In Psalm 51:10 (CJB) the king pleads with God to "create in me a clean heart, God, renew in me a resolute spirit". A clean heart and resolute spirit. The Jewish believers reprimanded by Paul would have done well to review the cries of King David's heart.
So how does our nation move toward healing? How do we move toward a place where everyone is valued, everyone is respected, everyone is heard? I believe we must begin by laying a foundation of truth and grace. Our foundation must be anchored in the knowledge that ALL people are fearfully and wonderfully made in the very image of God. If we believe that.....if I believe that.....a change of heart is inevitable. Mark 12:30-31 outlines the two most important commands given by Christ. The first deals with our love for God. The second tells us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. I understand there are people who don't believe in God, and therefore those people would discount the first command. But surely, even nonbelievers, could embrace the value found within the second command! What a different world this would be if we would all treat others as we want to be treated! Imagine the impact.....what would our nation look like if that were the case. I have heard some people say God is color blind. I think I understand what they are trying to say.....but I view it differently. I think God LOVES color. God has created such incredible diversity. He did not create everyone to be exactly the same.....we have different skin tones, hair and eye colors, sizes and shapes, and a plethora of ideas. But I guess you could argue God's 'color blindness' is because He doesn't look at the outside to assess a person, rather He looks at the inside, at the heart. I Samuel 16 describes Samuel's experience as God instructs him to anoint David, the future king. Samuel, the great prophet, is immediately impressed with Jesse's oldest son because Eliab 'looked' like a potential king. But God had to set Samuel straight. God told Samuel, "Don't pay attention to how he looks or how tall he is, because I have rejected him. Adonai doesn't see the way humans see; humans look at the outward appearance, but Adonai looks at the heart" (CJB). What would happen if people could look at other people and see what was in their heart?
I know there have been many times when I wouldn't have wanted people to peer into the contents of my heart. God has often prompted me to do a checkup on my heart....sometimes I have listened, others times I have ignored His loving plea. Maybe it is time for all of us to check ourselves. What is in your heart? I don't mean what words do you use to explain your heart condition. But what is truly happening in your heart? What is there in the part no one sees.....what is there when you are alone? Would you be comfortable if you walked outside today and everyone could see the contents of your heart? I want my passion to match that of King David. God.....create in me a clean heart. Only with a clean, healthy heart will I be able to love God and love people.
Perhaps it's time we all consulted the Great Physician for a heart exam........