Last week I made a visit to the doctor because I have been short of breath and easily fatigued lately. Of course, she arranged to have several tests run in order to determine what the root of the problem was. I have noticed over the years that Christians often seem to have the same problem. They seem to tire easily of church attendance, prayer, thanksgiving, and the like. One thing the doctor mentioned was that often people complain of things that seem to be related to lung function but may actually may be a heart issue. Many times when we complain that the sermons are boring, people are just not friendly, etc., we may be exhibiting heart problems as well. Jesus says we are to love the Lord with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves (Matt. 22:36-38). 1 John 4:20 also asks how we can hate our brother whom we have seen and love God whom we have not seen. Every once in a while it would do use good to go to the Great Physician and have a frank talk about our spiritual health. We may find that the problem is not our circumstances or our fellow Christian, but our own heart. When I went to the doctor my heart was the last thing that I suspected, but I am glad that all possibilities were examined. It would not be what I wanted to hear if one of the tests pointed to my heart, but I would be better off knowing so corrective measures could be taken than to simply blame it on something else. The same is true with our spiritual health. We may not get the diagnosis we want to hear (we would much rather put the blame on others), but if regaining our spiritual vigor and closeness to our Lord is the goal then we must be willing to let Him run the necessary tests. We must also be willing to accept the fact that it may be that our heart is the problem. If you go to the Great Physician and He shows you that some sin such as bitterness, for example, has crept in; take the remedy of 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. We will find that our strength is renewed and our closeness is restored. Have a heart healthy checkup today.