Maintaining a healthy heart

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

Life with Blondie and Brownie, our new dogs, has already been a fantastic journey. From the moment they arrived, our lives drastically altered. We wake earlier, exercise more, and have learned to adapt to prevent the steady slew of chewed reading glasses, chair edges, and ripped dog beds that the two formerly greeted us with each morning. As frustrating as damaged property may be, our fur babies bring us joy and laughter daily.  We wouldn’t exchange that for anything.

While the pair began their heartworm treatment on the first day they were rescued in Puerto Rico, their oral pills were nothing compared to the shots they’ll receive over the next month. Our vet administered the first of their three-shot regimen this past week.

Per the American Heartworm Society (AHS), melarsomine is the only approved adulticide that can successfully treat and eliminate the disease.  That being said, “melarsomine is [also] an arsenical with potentially serious side effects.”  In addition to the crucial importance of injecting this drug into a precise location in a critical manner to avoid any medical issues, the cure can be as frightening as the foot-long worms that are currently living inside our fur babies.

Essentially, our vet has administered a form of arsenic to our dogs to kill their parasites. As awful as that sounds, it’s equally terrifying to consider that these dead or dying worms will pervade our dogs’ bloodstreams over the next two months before they’re slowly absorbed into their systems. In short, these foreign bodies could act as embolisms, causing catastrophic damage. We must keep our fur babies calm and limit physical activity to keep their blood pressure down to prevent the same. Easier said than done.

Rather than crate them over the next few months, we’re utilizing a combination of prescriptive Trazodone in the mornings and calming chews with chamomile and melatonin before bed. So far, so good.

As we walk through this process, I can’t help but think about Proverbs 4:23, which reminds us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Christians must protect our hearts, minds, and bodies from anything that can distract, pervade, and lead us away from Christ – no easy task while living in a culture permeated with materialism, idolatry, and sensuality. While society may say, “if it feels good, do it,” Christians must be mindful that “if Christ wouldn’t do it, neither should I.”

Developing this mindset requires strict adherence to Biblical values, a disciplined schedule of scripture reading, selective viewing of media options, and a discerning selection of friends. I’ve always been particularly mindful of who I hung out with. I never needed a slew of friends and always lived by the idea that having a single friend I could trust and count on was all I ever needed. I still believe that to be true.

As Solomon said in Proverbs 12:26, “The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” The same can be said of those we choose to date or marry. Earlier in life, I trusted too much and leaned more on my emotions than the sound Biblical wisdom I should have listened to. I thought I could “change” my exes and bring them to God. I now know that God is the only one who can change anyone, and only if they want to change.

I’m blessed to have a Godly husband as my faithful partner, confidant, and best friend. David shares my values and strives to grow in His love of Christ. It’s God’s love that intertwines our hearts. He is the cord that ties us together and protects us.

I’m struck by how vital healthy hearts are to the well-being of all living creatures. While Blondie and Brownie developed their heartworms through the transmission of infected mosquitoes, our hearts can easily become diseased and infected by the company we keep, the thoughts we allow entry into our minds, and the things that occupy our time.

While our dogs had no one to give them preventives to keep them safe from the parasites, we each have a choice as to what measures we’ll take to protect our hearts from going astray. Choosing Christ is the best defensive measure one could ever take to prevent heart disease.

In the case of Blondie and Brownie, they will never be without their monthly heartworm pills.

As a Christian, I will stay true to my daily regimen of prayer and praise to stay rooted in Christ and focused on His wisdom. After all, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard [my] heart and [my] mind in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)

May it be so for all of us.