Freda Update

Tuesday I had an appointment with the cardiologist to follow-up after the placement of the pacemaker. I had experienced five days of the heart beating hard and causing me to be unusually tired. I had just been trying to make it through the holiday weekend to the appointment. They played the record kept in the pacemaker memory and connected me to a couple of other pieces of equipment. They were able to determine that I did have some arrhythmia, but the main problem seemed to be that the lower chamber was skipping beats. The decision was made to program the pacemaker to stimulate the heart beating 100% of the time. I did not know that pacemakers are programmed differently and usually stimulate a certain percentage of the beats. Since the reprogramming, the heart seems to be functioning properly. I look forward to healing from the surgery itself so I can again have full use of my left arm. (For now I cannot lift it above my shoulder or lift more than 10 pounds with that arm.)

Over these past three months, as I have dealt with heart issues, I have often questioned how healthy my heart is spiritually. It’s not hard to see that we cannot function at our best without a healthy heart physically. Why do we think it is any different spiritually? As I left the cardiologist on Tuesday my thought was that my spiritual heart also needs to be stimulated 100% of the time. I guess that is why it is so important to read God’s Word and spend time with Him in prayer. Paul tells the Colossians, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (3:16a). The psalmist says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (119:11) and “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (119:105). His Word stimulates our spiritual heart to work right. Jesus says, “And when you pray.” He assumes we will pray. Paul also admonishes us, “pray continually” (I Thessalonians 5:16). Continually sounds like a 100% of the time.

Throughout all my treatments my heart has seemed healthy so it hasn’t received much attention. These past three months it has received a lot of attention. At times I may feel I am strong spiritually and therefore do not give my spiritual heart the attention it needs. I don’t want to wait until it is in trouble before I give it what it needs to be healthy. Just as my physical heart now needs constant stimulation from the outside, I know my spiritual heart needs constant stimulation from God. I again recommit to give my spiritual heart the attention it needs and deserves.