What I Learned From Heart Surgery by Pastor Welty

This is part four of a four part blog series based on a message I shared in October, a reflection on lessons learned from my heart surgery. 

 Part 4 The Stewardship of  New Heart

Since the surgery, my diet has changed a lot.  I am now de-caffeinated,  sodium free and fat free.  I’ll be participating in cardiac rehab at the hospital and will try to get back into my exercise routine.

I don't view heart surgery as  a “mulligan”,  a do over.  It's not a chance to eat more bacon and cheese but a chance to avoid behaviors that contributed to the problem.  That's challenging because I like bacon, cheese, ice cream, etc.  But I don’t want to repeat that surgery, so I plan to strive to live a life that honors the surgery and the recovery.  I want to take care of or steward my new heart. 

In Romans 6 Paul asked some helpful, diagnostic questions.  (verses 1-2)  "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"

Then he gave this challenge in Romans 6:11-13,  "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.   Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness."

Paul was challenging us to live lives that honor God, and  like I don’t want to take my surgery or recovery for granted, I also don’t want to take my redemption for granted.   I don’t want to take the cross of Christ for granted.  I want to steward my new physical heart carefully which reminds me to steward my new spiritual heart carefully as well.