It has happened twice lately – one colleague who had a few twinges when he went for a run – now he has a stent – and another person whose blog I read, having chest pains and having to realign life a little.
My blogging contact wondered if he cared as much about his heart as he should have done. In the busyness of life is there that space that is needed to care, what goes when life is tough and do we recognise the symptoms that a heart attack is imminent. He made the following comment…
For me, staying spiritually healthy demands staying focused on a few key priorities:
- Face-Time with God. If you are a Christian, spending time with God isn’t optional; it’s foundational. No relationship can survive without face-time; time connecting, time communicating, time ‘relating.’ If face-time with God gets pushed aside then you will have heart issues. For me, this means time with God in the morning – yes, that’s right, before work! There’s no point putting your armour on after you get home from the battle.
- Face-Time with Key People. Everyone needs a Paul in their life. (If you don’t get that reference, you probably don’t have one in yours.) We all need someone who knows us and can hold our feet to the fire when we need it. Having someone to speak truth to us is critical to staying healthy and mis-prioritising this is dangerous.
- Spiritual Community. You can’t do it on your own. One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is taking Sunday off when things get busy or hard. If life is killing you, don’t skip out on the one place designed to build you back up. (Oh, and if you don’t have a place – call me.) My LifeGroup and my church are essential to my heart’s health. I need these people and these moments of study, worship, and connection with them. Cutting back here is not an option.
It takes intentionality to let people in, to pursue conversations with others and to pursue time with God. If you don’t plan it, it won’t happen and if it doesn’t happen it will come back to haunt you. Maybe not now. Maybe not next week. But it will hurt your heart. Do yourself a favor, do what I do and put these things on your calendar. Live and die by them. When you need to take a break, skip something else but not these – never these.
Worth thinking about before the chest pains come
Geoff
