Recently, my husband had a surgical heart procedure to open
up an obstructed artery. According to iData Research (11/7/18) there are over
1.8 million stents implanted per year in the United States. Unbeknownst to both
my husband and I, my husband was
“suffering in
silence of a broken heart”
With the recent observance of this year’s Valentine’s Day I
couldn’t help but witness the various ways people chose to share their heart
with a loved one. The security desk in my office’s foyer was a parade of exquisite
bouquets and colorful heart-shaped balloons. While walking amongst colleagues
throughout my office floor, my eyes fancied the array of cookies decorated with
pink and red frosting and foil-wrapped chocolates displayed on colorful plates for
all to partake. However, I couldn’t help but wonder, as I gazed around the
numerous bodies of people working diligently at their desks, who might be suffering in silence of a broken heart.
Emotions play a huge part on the effects of the heart. We
have heard that anger or fear can cause elevated blood pressure in an
individual. So too, loneliness and depression have a role in the wellbeing of
one’s heart. Although a doctor can prescribe medications to assist with a
person’s health in cases like these, the first step in one’s healing process is
by the choices they make. A lack of social support can be a risk for heart
disease.
I am not disagreeing with the need for medical care and
counseling to aide in the healing of a broken heart. After all, I am grateful
for the cardiologists whose hands administered the delicate procedure that restored
my husband’s broken heart. What I am advocating is by finding a way to reach
out to others through an act of forgiveness or service, or a loving gesture one
can also assist in their own healing capabilities. By focusing on the well-being
of others, a person can contribute in eradicating their own negative emotional
barriers. Romans 15:1:2 tells us that “Each of us should please our neighbors
for their good, to build them up.” And Proverbs 17:22 confirms that “A merry heart does good like a medicine: but
a broken spirit dries the bones.” By having a good disposition, a person
can resist the attacks of disease.
"The
gladness of the heart is the life of man,
and
the joyfulness of a man prolongeth his days."
Ecclesiastes 30:22
I
am reminded of a difficult time in my life and where God met me when my heart
was emotionally shattered and wrote about this pain in my book, “Choice for
Change”. That life changing day helped me to come to grips with the unfair
feelings I was harboring against my mother. God showed me how to mend my broken
heart and by trusting in Him to be my everything and by realizing that my investment
in my loved ones near me my heart would once again flourish with love.
If
you are suffering from a broken heart,
remember that God’s love for you is everlasting (Jeremiah 31:3).
