Heart's Leap

        The Heart’s Leap
The most sacred part of the human’s body is the heart. The heart’s physical responsibility is to pump blood to the entire parts of the body.  This amazing muscle beats at nearly 100, 000 times daily. Additionally, the blood vessels, arteries, veins, capillaries, are over 60,000 miles long. In other words, long enough to circle the earth twice.  Ironically, the adult heart pumps approximately five quarts of blood each minute, and takes roughly 20 seconds to travel the entire body (The Cleveland Clinic, 2011).  The Centers for Disease Control (2009) cites heart disease as the leading cost of death in men and women. The CDC attributes these deaths from contributing causes like diabetes, obesity, alcohol, inadequate diet, inactivity, and stress. Emotionally, the heart’s guards itself against hurting, past events, and unwelcome fears. Spiritually, the heart is capable of believing the impossible, the heart’s leap. Undeniably, the extraordinary brain functions as the center for ideas creation, but the incredible heart is the architect to bring them to fruition.
Physically, the human body is designed to protect itself from typically various injuries, diseases, and sicknesses. In fact, the skin sweats to prevent the body from overheating. But, it is repeatedly overwhelmed with maladies like fear, discontentment, discouragement, loneliness, and sorrow on a routine basis. Though the body has defense mechanisms, and are attacked on all levels. Still, the heart is the mediator for the body, and protects at all causes for countless years. Astounding, the heart defies all odds, and continues to function with heart block, elevate cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and kidney failure.
Emotionally, the heart restores itself from insurmountable stresses of disasters, loss of loved ones, divorces, homelessness, unemployment, financial ruins, sexual abuses, and domestic violence. Imagine the devastating of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, being left homeless, jobless, and lonely. Yes, watching your loved ones needing assistance, and you are unable to reach them.  The car is covered with water, home flooded, companies closed, no food, no savings, and no clothing. Dealing with other heartbreak of not knowing if a family member is safe, waiting by the phone, and praying for good news. Regardless of the impending news, the heart struggles to stay afloat. The Bible comments that the heart melts (Psalm 22:7, King James Version), if possible, from all the hurts and pains. The victims of Katrina relocate to various locations, pursue employment, apply for government assistance, and took heart’s leaps and went forward. 
However, spiritually, the heart strives to venture beyond reality, and explores the unseen. It trusts the intangible, the profound, and unscientific highway. Picture if you would, the heart viewing your son on an altar for a sacrifice, surviving a fiery furnace, entering the den of lions, and crossing the Red Sea while being pursued.  Would your heart die from fear? Not only did the sufferers survive, but their hearts leaped with belief prior to their death encounters. Exactly, what is the unquestioning heart incentive? Certainly not the comfort from a friend, or reading an inspirational article, nor past experiences, but the unadulterated assurance of the heart leap of the promises of God.
Finally, the Bible speaks of the heart’s leap of faith rather fear when calamities surround us (Psalm 27:3, NKJV).  Further, the Bible comments, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27: 13, NKJV)”. Physically, the heart is one of the strongest muscles in the body, only the size of a fist, yet not the largest. It still pumps hard for man’s survival. Without the heart, the body ceases to exist. Mentally, when the heart encounters stress, it places defensive wall to guard the heart. Spiritually, the heart seeks rest in believing the inconceivable. The heart art is stepping beyond the comfort zone, and taking a heart’s leap to reach the stars.