Promise of the Heart

Yesterday in worship we considered the "heart covenant" of Jeremiah, one of the series of covenants or promises of God we have looked at during Lent. I borrowed an honest-to-goodness doctor's stethoscope for the childrens time and became aware of how sensitive this medical instrument is when I gave it a test run before the service. I listened to my own heart chugging away, and was reminded that this remarkable organ beats 100,000 times a day and four billion times through the course of an average lifespan.

As I listened I was also keenly aware that the heart of my brother-in-law, John, suddenly stopped beating when he was at work Friday afternoon. He went to the gym in the morning, doing his best at age 58 to stay fit, and he was eating "heart healthy" in recent years. He was probably in the best shape of his life and a visit to the cardiologist recently resulted in positive news. But John's dad died young from a heart attack and while John was in far better shape than his father had been, his genes probably betrayed him. So he died, likely before the paramedics arrived and has left a shocked and grieving family. His extended family, including me, are filled with sadness for everyone involved. There is such a sense that this shouldn't be, that John and his loved ones should have been able to enjoy many more years together. Fortunately my wife, Ruth, was able to spend the weekend with her sister, Martha, and their children, and we will attend the funeral later this week.

This is a grim reminder that we need to savour every day, every heartbeat, as a gift from God. I'm glad that John had a strong Christian faith. He loved the out of doors and the beauty of this world but he also trusted in eternity.

Any thoughts about the fragility of life?