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I associate thoughts with my brain and feelings with my heart. If I could be transported back in time to have a conversation with an early Christian, this linking of the word heart with my emotions might cause some confusion. Early Christian writers seem to have used the word heart not to refer to their emotional center, but rather to the very core of their being. Heart referred to a still point, deep within one’s self, where one could connect with God. It was the quiet harbor of God’s presence where one would not be buffeted by the winds of thoughts and feelings, the storms caused by preferences and attachments.
As I tried to wrap my head around this understanding of heart, a word from my 12 step work came to mind - serenity. What I learned in Al-Anon is that my sense of serenity acts like a guiding system. When I am losing my serenity, when my life starts feeling unmanageable, that is a sure sign that I was being drawn away from my connection to my Higher Power, away from God. I need to guard my serenity, maintain contact with my Higher Power. I believe that early Christian I had beamed back to talk to would say I need to guard my heart, go into my heart to re-align my will with God’s will. Guarding my serenity entails maintaining an inner stillness even when thoughts and feelings, people and events, are whipping up turmoil in my life. It is at those times, that I need to go into my heart, shelter in the presence of God, so that I might be able to act with courage and wisdom.
On this St. Valentine’s Day, I pray that we will all be grateful for the love expressed by any cards or heart-shaped boxes of chocolates we may receive. I pray even more fervently that we might all learn to guard our hearts, that we might live serenely, connected, heart to Heart, with the Divine Indwelling. Happy St. Valentine’s Day to all of you.