February. Red valentine hearts decorate windows, and heart-shaped boxes of candy fill the shelves at the supermarket. Do those red hearts represent that faithfully pumping muscle in your chest, or do they stand for the tender emotions? Or both?
In John 14, in verse 1 and again in verse 27, Jesus says to the disciples (that’s us!), “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” He reminds us not to worry and to trust in God. He says it twice, so we know he means it!
Do you think Jesus, who loved to heal the sick, would mind if we extended his comforting words to cover not only our metaphorical hearts, but our physical hearts as well?
February is American Heart Month; today is National Wear Red Day to promote women’s heart health. Ask your parish nurse or doctor about blood pressure guidelines and your cardiac health. And give heartfelt thanks for all the dedicated people who have taken Jesus’ words to heart – and are working to keep our hearts untroubled.
This message is excerpted from “Do not let your hearts be troubled” by Audrey Novak Riley from the January 31, 2018, blog of the Women of the ELCA. Today we commemorate Ansgar, Bishop of Hamburg, missionary to Denmark and Sweden, 865.
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