I work in a surgery recovery room. We do surgery on the heart. We operate on children and adults. Adults usually get some problem with their heart from an infection or from just growing older. Children are usually born with a problem of their heart.
The heart actually has a skin covering it. It is called the pericardium. This skin is not like your outer skin. It is a thin shiny membrane that helps protect the heart. But sometimes this skin gets irritated. It can be from surgery on the heart. Or it can be from an infection. Or it can be from certain diseases.
When this skin gets irritated it can become thick and hard. When it gets like this, it will not allow the heart to move the way it needs to in order to pump blood to your body. As the skin gets tighter, the heart is less able to give your body blood. Eventually, you will die because your heart cannot pump right.
So the heart surgeon will cut away a large portion of this skin. This gives the heart the room it needs to pump right. The person usually gets well very soon and can live normally.
God talks about the need to cut the skin of the spiritual heart. In Deuteronomy 30:6, God says, “And the Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”
Circumcision (that is a big word) means to cut around. God will cut around our spiritual hearts so that we can love Him the way we should. In Deuteronomy 10:16, God tells the Israelites to circumcise their hearts. Putting the two scriptures together, we see that the cutting around is done by both God and us. We must study His word and obey it. By doing so, God’s word is working on our heart.
God is the Great Physician (doctor). I know you want the best doctor. Study God’s Word, the Bible. Learn how to circumcise the skin of your spiritual heart.
Until next time, keep learning God’s wisdom. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
