H.E.A.R.T; Spiritual Vitamins

Heavenly Father,

I confess that I need to take 'spiritual vitamins' to maintain a healthy positive outlook.  My vitamins are worship, prayer, study, Christian community and service.  I pray my children will identify the spiritual vitamins that keep them sustained, healthy and strong.  Lord, it is also prudent for me to often do a self-checkup on my heart.  When  I begin to feel overwhelmed or out of balance, it's time to pause and examine life.  We all need Your Truth to self-assess, Lord.  We can relapse into denial or convince ourselves that we can handle life without help from You or each other.   I pray we will all regularly make time for a H-E-A-R-T check up and ask ourselves:
Am I H - hurting?

          E - exhausted?

          A - angry?

          R - resentful?

          T - tense?   For if we are experiencing any of these things, it is a heart problem with potential for serious or even permanent damage to ourselves and others, alike.  Bring healing and resolve in Your way and in Your perfect timing, Lord.  Give us each a teachable spirit that has the courage to do a regular self-examination so we remain healthy.  Hard questions require honest answers or else we live in avoidant behavior or even a lie.  Give us clean hearts - healthy hearts, O God for life is good and we seek to live in Your goodness.

 

Watch over Chip in his long journey.  Watch over Alyssa as she visits with family in Florida.  Keep Marc and Rebecca safe and comfortable at home.   Lord, keep all these precious ones heart-healthy.  We love them so and You love them even more!  In Jesus' Name, Amen.  

 

Psalm 51: 10-12

Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a right Spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

 

In the end, it doesn’t matter how well we have performed or what we have accomplished – a life without heart is not worth living. For out of this wellspring of our soul flow all true caring and all meaningful work, all real worship and all sacrifice - Brent Curtis & John Eldredge

 

 The heart is something of a garden that requires tending. Many things might have occasion to grow there. A root of bitterness is so potent it will invade other people’s gardens and worst of all, it will choke the grace of God in my life. I will miss what I want most. - Paula Reinhart, Strong Women, Soft Hearts

 

Always and forever ~