My Heart

So a thing happened this week.

person doing heart hand sign
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

It was not expected by necessity, but I’m glad that I was able to get some answers.

It started about a month and half ago when I was walking at the gym. I try my best to get at least 6,500 steps in when I go walking. I was close to that number when all of a sudden my heart started to hurt, my left arm went numb, I became dizzy, and the pain in my upper back and neck made me think that I was having a heart attack. I drove home (don’t do this if you have these symptoms!) and had my wife drive me to the emergency room at a heart hospital.

They took my vitals and began to run some tests to see what was going on. Well, it turns out that I did not have a heart attack. Praise the Lord for that! I was given the instructions of following up with my cardiologist so he got me into his office about a week later. I think the world of my cardiologist. He is laid back but is really great at taking care of my heart. He decided that a couple of other scans and tests would be good.

One of the scans is called a CTA (computred tomography angiography). I had contrast dye in to create a detailed image of blood vessels in the body. However, the sonographer could not see the left side of my heart. She said that everything else looked good. So my cardiologist decided I needed to see a microvascular cardiologist that works in the same practice. So I agreed.

The microvascular cardiologist suggested some new medication to help relieve the continued chest pain that I had been experiencing. Now I have seen a cardiologist because I have had angina since I was 40 years old. I am now 59 years old. I said to the microvascular cardiologist, “No, I don’t want to take another pill. I want you to find out what’s really happening with my heart since I’ve had angina since I was 40 years old.” He said the only other option would be to do a cardiac catheterization. This procedure is used to diagnose and treat heart conditions by inserting a thing tube into a blood vessel to reach the heart. It helps cardiologists to evaluate heart function, check for blockages, and sometimes perform treatments like angioplasty. I agreed to the procedure so I could get answers about my heart.

So on February 11, 2026, I went in for the heart cath. It was supposed to be a 45 minute procedure. He was going to use dye contrast to see how the heart was functioning and to see the blood flow. He also performed a chemical stress test while I was on the table. I have to tell you, that was painful and he could see on his screen just how my heart was working and everything I had been saying was happening happened with him viewing it. I remember him saying that he was shocked to see what I had been describing.

Then I heard the cardiologist say, “Whoa! Do you see that?” asking a nurse that was with him. I had a left branch vein that 100% blocked. I do not really even know what was blocking it or why. I will see him in a follow up and ask him. He leaned down toward my head and told me what was happening. He acted fast and decided that a stent would be the best course of action at the moment. As soon as he placed the stent and opened up the vein, it was instant relief. No heart pain. No palpatations. Just relief.

What was supposed to be a 45 minute procedure turned out to be a two and half hour procedure. But I am so grateful that the cardiologist found this problem in my heart. If it was not for him finding the issue, I would still be struggling to breathe and would continue to have chest pain and eventually a possible heart attack.

I was thinking about my true heart. In the Old Testament, Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable–who can understand it? I, Yahweh, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve.” I am grateful that my Lord Jesus knows my heart: not just my physical heart, but my spiritual heart. He knows I struggle sometimes with evil thoughts. He knows that I need Him so I don’t live according to my deceitful heart. He forgives and I love Him because He first loved me.

Consistency

Man Hand writing Consistency is The Key with black marker on visual screen
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“Consistency” is defined in several different ways:

  1. a degree of density, firmness, viscosity, etc.
  2. steadfast adherence to the same pricniples, course, form, etc.
  3. agreement, harmony, or compatability, especially correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing.
  4. the condition of cohering or holding together and retaining form; solidity or firmness.*

It comes from the word “consistent” which has the meanings:

  1. agreeing or accordant; compatible; not self-contradictory.
  2. constantly adhering to the same principles, course, form, etc.
  3. holding firmly together; cohering.
  4. Archaic: fixed, firm.*

To be consistent means then to holdfast in what it is that you want to be consistent. It means that you will live in constant agreement, adhering to the things that are most important to you.

For me, the most important thing is my relationship to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Bible tells me in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His creative work, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we can do them.” I want to be consistent in my relationship with the God that I believe.

Next, my family needs my consistentcy in presence and participation. This takes me being attentive. I’m unfortunately not always as attentive as I should be, but I’m working on it. I need to be sure to be home with my family and I need to speak with them, listen to them, love them, and be an active part of their lives as they are with me.

Then being consistent with my church is vital. Since I’m a member of a local congregation, I want to be consistent in my presence in worship and other Bible studies. I also want to consistently participate in the various planned activities with other members. This takes time and it takes consistency to get to know others and to become friends in the faith that we share.

Finally, my country is of great import in my mind and I desire to be a good citizen. The world–or so it seems–is chaos right now. I want to be consistent in blessing those around me even when everything seems to be chaotic. That means that I need to be kind and do my fair share of what needs to be done to help create a safe community in which to live. I love my country so I want to help take care of it.

Consistency in all of these things is not the easiest all of the time. Sometimes I waver in this one or that one, but these are things of which I want to be consistent. But how can we be consistent to that which we find most important? Let me give you a few steps to help you be consistent.

Evaluate what you find to be most important to you.

Look at your life and discover what is most important to you. Take the time to think through where you desire to be consistent. Ask yourself: Am I consistent with my relationship to Jesus Christ? Am I consistent with my family relationships? Am I consistent with my connection to my church and my faith?

Study the idea of consistency.

Look up what it means to be consistent. You can use a wonderful tool like Google to look up how you can be consistent in the areas that are most important to you. Certainly there are books that can help you train yourself in thinking and acting. As I’ve heard it said before, eat the meat of what you learn and spit out the bones! Not everything you read will be beneficial, but that which is you keep! Keep it and apply it as you learn it!

Work on consistency.

Take the time to work on being consistent. There will be times when you are inconsistent. We all have times when we get tired or anxious or whatever else comes our way. But you don’t have time to give up! You only have time to get back on track and become consistent again. It takes work to have a change of mind. Take the time you need and don’t give up. As each day comes, do something that will help you get in the habit of being consistent.

Reevaluate what you are doing.

Take the time to reevaluate what it is that you have been doing to be consistent. You may find that you need to change something that you are doing. Moreover, you may actually find that what you thought was important to you is not really all that important! If it’s not important, then it’s alright for you to drop that and continue to learn what really is important.

Finally, rejoice in consistency!

When you have a win, then rejoice in it! Celebrate how God continues to bless you in the conistentcy that He is helping you to have. It is through Him that we live our lives–whether we are conistent or inconsistent. It is through Jesus Christ that we can accomplish what it is that He has planned for us.

I realize this is not an exhaustive list by any means. What other ideas do you have to become more consistent in the things that are most important to you?

* Definitions from wwww.dictionary.com