Devotions

Words are important. Words reveal what we believe, what we think, and likely, how we behave. Jesus tells the Pharisees that their words about him reveal what they think about God. And what they were holding in their hearts wasn’t pretty.

Heart Awareness Month reminds us to pay attention to what keeps our physical hearts beating strong. Scripture tells us to look at our spiritual hearts–the inner place where our thoughts and faith take root.

What fills our hearts shows on our faces. Joy is not only an emotion to show, but the evidence of the life we have in and through Christ. Likewise, sorrow dampens our mood, and shifts the focus from God to our troubles.

How often do you receive advice when you share with people about being a caregiver? I bet it is easy to pick out who has actually gone through your type of situation. There is a lot of bad advice floating around—thank you, social media. Most of it comes from people who want to comfort you but have no idea what they are talking about.

As a family medical caregiver I was asked to put my faith in a lot of things. The knowledge of our medical care team. Medicines that were both dangerous and life-saving. Twenty years of favorable results for the surgeries performed on Leah’s heart. The thing I came to realize while listening to the staff during rounds every morning, is that medical care is as much art as science. Each patient is unique in their makeup and responds differently to treatments as a result.

I remember the first time I heard the words breadth, length, height, and depth as they applied to the Father’s love for us. While I was running around the house doing my caregiving duties, and just being mom to all three of my kiddos, I would listen to a particular radio show. This idea stopped me in my tracks. Who cares about clean laundry when your spiritual foundation is being reformed?