I love walking. Especially outdoors. Walking is one of the most accessible exercises to enhance cardiovascular health. When walking briskly, our heart rate elevates, circulation is boosted, and our hearts are strengthened. As we engage in this habit over time, this simple act significantly lowers the risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke. Certain Bible passages may resonate more deeply when we weave prayer and meditation into our fitness journeys. While the exact phrase “cardiovascular health” may not appear in Scripture, we can still find wisdom to guide us. For instance, let us reflect on this passage:
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23 NLT
Above All Else
A daily walk can physically guard the heart, and as we age, having a healthy heart helps determine the course of our lives.
Let’s look at the verses that come before the encouragement to guard our hearts,
My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Proverbs 4:20-22 NLT
Let Them Penetrate Deep
In the spiritual context of the passage, guarding our hearts means allowing wisdom to penetrate the depths of our being. Praying and meditating on God’s words of wisdom brings life and healing to our bodies. Through prayer and meditation His words and principles sink deeper and deeper into our lives.
I remember the early days of recovery from my shoulder surgery when all I could do was walk; my prayer with each step was, “Body, mind, and soul, Lord, make me Holy, make me whole.” Heart health, spiritually, physically, and emotionally, was the goal then and it’s the goal now.
Guard Your Heart
Our health and well-being is a tapestry intricately woven with spiritual, mental, and physical threads. Each thread is vital to our overall well-being. Saturating our daily lives with His word is a safeguard for our hearts that builds resilience and helps us cope in life’s complicated and chaotic spaces.
May we walk with Christ each day with the purpose of wholeness in body, mind, and soul.
*For those of you who prayer walk, meditate on the directive to guard your heart and allow His words to sink deeper and deeper into your being.