The Heart in the Bones

The heart in the bones. To me, that means a couple of things. My first thought when I say that is, we are all framed by our bones. And inside of those bones lies the heart. it’s protected by that frame. Unseen but still very much there. Our hearts are vital to our survival. They pump blood and oxygen through our veins and to all of the places in our bodies that need it. As much as our hearts are vital to us physically, the same holds true to us emotionally.

Our hearts define who we are and what we feel. Everyone knows the saying “she wears her heart on her sleeve.” I’m sure you’ve also heard similar expressions describing the opposite of someone who is open with their emotions such as “she built a wall around her heart.” There are many others like those, but you get the point. One way or another, our hearts emotionally, determine who we are, how we react to things and the way we see the world around us. My point is, our bodies, our bones are what make us who we are by framing us, but at the center of that is our hearts. Both physically and emotionally.

My second thought is related to the home. The walls, windows and doors, all that make up a house are the “bones.” But a house is just a house without a family living in it. Families are the heart of the home. We pump life into those walls and rooms. So again, the house makes up the bones, but at the center is the family, or the heart of the house. Similarly , our churches are just walls, doors and windows. That is until we fill it with love, with our hearts. Christ lives in our hearts. We are the center of that, and that is what brings the church to life.

In all three comparisons or explanations, the heart, our hearts, are at the center of all we do. So that is what I plan to write about here. Things that makes us feel. Things that touch us. Things that matter. The heart of the matter. The heart in the bones.