NxtGen Energy

My heart is the core of my being from all three aspects of who I am: the physical, emotional, and spiritual me.   The quality of my physical heart affects the emotional and spiritual aspects of who I am.  I see it as a cyclical  relationship.  In some mysterious way that we cannot completely understand,  as the quality of my emotional heart improves, my spiritual and physical heart get a boost.  If my physical heart is suffering, I become prone to depression and anxieties.  My heart is my core.

The American Heart Association has a new campaign called, “Go Red for Women” (www.goredforwomen.org).  This campaign and the associated website are devoted to increasing awareness about women’s heart health.  The current statistics look pretty dismal:

*Heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the United States.  A woman dies of heart disease every 34 seconds.

*1 in every 3 women dies from heart disease.

*Nearly two-thirds of all women who die suddenly of a heart attack had no prior symptoms.

And yet, the American Heart Association notes that women can lower their risk of heart disease by as much as 82% just by leading a healthy lifestyle.  They condense the steps for leading a healthy lifestyle that will help prevent  cardiovascular disease to what they call “The ABC’s of Preventing Heart Disease.”  And they state it very simply:

A–avoid tobacco

B–become more active

C–choose good nutrition

And while stated simply, they might not be equally simple for all of us.  I’ve never smoked and I love to be active.  My struggle is to choose good nutrition.    I love anything made out of dough!  So resisting carbs is my battle.  But now that I am more aware of the facts about cardiovascular disease, I am going to try to be a little bit more mindful!

If you haven’t done so check out www.goredforwomen.org

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you.  I do not give as the world gives.  Do not let your heart be troubled and do not be afraid.”  John 14:27 (NIV)

For me, being happy is most often a function of my emotions.   And my emotions for any given day are usually subject to my perceived circumstances.    Maybe this isn’t true for you, but it’s my struggle.  So, I have decided to not allow my circumstances to direct my emotions.  Well, at least, I am going to work on consciously not allowing my circumstances to direct my emotions.  Instead, whenever I feel like I am “not happy”, I am going to focus my attention on the verse above, John 14:27.  I am going to focus on having a peaceful spirit.

One of the definitions of the word “peace” found on Dictionary.com is this:  freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession, etc.; tranquility; serenity.  Sounds great!  How do I plan to actually have a peaceful spirit?  Well, I am going to focus my mind on the reality that Jesus gave me His peace.  It is mine.  And whenever, I feel agitated, annoyed, distracted, anxious, or fearful, I am going to meditate on John 14:27.  I am a work in progress.  How about you?

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