Affairs Of The Heart

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. [Romans 8:26-27]

heart If I asked you to point to the place your spirit resides, how would you respond?

My guess is that most people would place a hand on their chest. Most of us perceive that our spirit resides in the heart.

A few weeks ago my friend Jan Coates wrote (Attitude Adjustment) about the Greek word kardia, the word translated as “heart” in the bible.

This week marks Valentine’s Day, when women are excited and men are terrified. In honor of this yearly celebration of issues of the heart, I thought it might be a good occasion to consider the deeper meanings of kardia.

As Jan explained, kardia represents the heart as the soul, the center of life. The connotation is much more than a physical organ. It denotes the union of mind and spirit.

LISTENING

In a newsletter I received a while back, a psychologist made this statement: Listening does not take place in the ears. Hearing takes place in the ears. Listening takes place between the ears.

He emphasized his point in capital letters: WE LISTEN WITH OUR HEADS.

I get his point, but I think I’d take it a step farther. To really listen, I think we must listen with our hearts.

In Luke 5, some friends brought a paralyzed man to Jesus. My guess is that they hoped for physical healing. However, in response to their courageous act of faith Jesus says, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

This outraged the pious religious leaders because only God can forgive sins, but they don’t say anything.

Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? [Luke 5:22]

WHAT REALLY MATTERS

Thinking in your hearts? Doesn’t thinking occur in the head?

I think there’s an important principle here. Jesus wasn’t concerned with words, traditions, or intellectual principles. He didn’t want to debate religious law. He wanted to expose the self-righteous, judgmental, hardened hearts behind their silent objections.

Thankfully, Jesus sees beyond words and thoughts. The Beatitude doesn’t say “Blessed are the pure in mind … “

I wish I could claim that my actions always match my beliefs. They don’t.
I’d like to point to perfect integration of my thoughts and beliefs. I can’t.
I want my desires to be consistently in line with God’s standards. They aren’t.

But Jesus sees beneath my failures and beyond my mistakes. He looks directly into kardia, the spirit that’s a clean, white page because of His grace.

CANDY AND FLOWERS?

So, you ask, what does this have to do with Valentine’s Day?

Well, I’m thinking that we could all follow Jesus’ example by listening a bit more with our hearts.

How often do I react to a friend’s words without seeing the hurting heart behind them? How often do I hear what I want to hear rather than seeking what was truly intended?

Do I interpret events in light of my own tendency to be offended? Why not look deeper and discover the heart of someone who meant well even if things turned out messy?

Kardia—the spirit, the soul, is what makes relationships work. It’s the place of authenticity and transparency, the truth that so often can’t accurately translate into words or acts.

You can’t think or talk or behave or spend your way into that sort of intimacy. Those are all important, but in the end they fade away and fall short.

What’s your reaction to the notion of “listening with your heart?

P.S.—Here’s proof that I’m heeding my own words. My wife’s been saying for a while that we need a new toaster, so last night I asked her if that’s what she wanted for Valentine’s Day. She said that’d be great.

But I listened with my heart. Flower shop, here I come!