Maple Syrup – The Sweet Liquid Gold

A few days after my husband, Gary cut a branch from a tree that was hanging over our driveway, the weather warmed up and sap began to flow from the wound in the tree!  We hadn’t really thought about what kind of tree this is; the branch simply needed to be cut.  When the temperatures dipped again that night, the dripping sap formed an “icicle”.  Not only did it look pretty, but much to our surprise it was a sweet delight to our taste buds!  We kinda reacted like Jed Clampett strikin’ oil when we realized this big ol’ maple tree was dripping sweet “liquid gold”!  While it won’t fetch us a mansion in Beverly Hills, I must learn how to tap this tree!

I have two friends who tap maple trees and it is obvious from their stories that “sugaring” is not an easy chore.  But… they both return to it year after year because the rewards are worth their effort and challenges.  Why don’t they just purchase some good ol’ Aunt Jemima and be done with it?

It is my assumption that most hard working “sappers” realize something that many consumers do not.  We don’t have to look too far to learn the difference between the nutritional value of imitation maple syrup and the real stuff.

Pure Maple syrup contains a single ingredient – pure maple;

table syrup contains more than 10 chemical and artificial ingredients.

– Get Real Maple

The main ingredient in fake syrup (often referred to as “table syrup”) is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  While I’ve written about this harmful FDA approved commodity in other articles, I’ll summarize a few of the risks here:

·        Obesity - Rats fed HFCS gained fat 300% more quickly than those fed equal doses of fruit-derived sugar. ^[1].

·        Diabetes – HFCS significantly increases the risk of developing Diabetes. ^[2] 

·        Heart Disease – There is a strong link between HFCS consumption and high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels. [3] 

·        Liver Damage – HFCS can cause liver scarring which diminishes the organ’s ability to process toxins ^[4] and may also cause fatty liver. ^[5]

·        Nervous System injury – Alarmingly high levels of mercury are often found in HFCS which can result in irreversible brain and nervous system damage. ^[6] 

Maple syrup’s nutritional value has been found to be superior to other sweeteners such as honey, brown sugar and corn syrup?  This sweet treat, gifted to us from the Creator of this world:

• is an excellent source of manganese, which plays an important role in energy production and antioxidant defenses.  Manganese is necessary for normal brain and nerve function.  A ¼ cup portion contains 100% of the Daily Value of manganese.
• provides 37% of the Daily Value of riboflavin, which aids in the metabolic process.
• offers 18% of the recommended Daily Value of zinc, which is essential for a healthy immune system.
• supplies magnesium, calcium and potassium, decreasing the risk of hypertension which can lead to strokes.
• is lower in calories than honey and corn syrup, averaging about 50 calories per tablespoon.

http://www.purecanadamaple.com/benefits-of-maple-syrup/maple-syrup-nutrition/,

I read an article in Science Daily which explains that plants have strong antioxidant mechanisms because of their ongoing exposure to the sun.  In studying sugar maple trees, scientists have found that when the tree is wounded by a tap, it secretes an antioxidant as a defense mechanism!  Research shows that when consumed in its concentrated form, maple syrup is more potent than maple sap.  How interesting!

To reinforce my interest even more, according to an article published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, studies have demonstrated that maple syrup has many health benefits, including anti-cancer and anti-diabetic properties!  (Reference: Journal of Medicinal Food 01/02/2010; ISSN: 1557-7600, OI: 10.1089/jmf.2009.0029)

Given all these wonderful health benefits of pure maple syrup, why are the grocery store shelves lined with the debilitating qualities of imitation syrup?  It isn’t too difficult to figure out, is it?  It is disappointing to learn of the extent to which companies will lower themselves in order to make a buck. 

The first band of “breakfast syrup” was marketed in 1887,

and at the time it contained 45% maple syrup.

Its most expensive product today contains a mere 4% –

and virtually no maple syrup nutrition.

–        Get Real Maple

Isn’t it reassuring to know that our Creator is not interested in a dollar!  He gives gifts freely to everyone and maple syrup, the sweet liquid gold is not the least of them!

Whole-Heartedly,

Bonnie

P.S.  Please feel free to contact me with questions, thoughts, topics you’d like to ponder or to read past articles at: http://whole-heartedlife.blogspot.com/.  You may also contact me at:

             Bonnie Jaeckle

             In Search of the Whole-Hearted Life

             Diagonal Progress

             505 Jefferson St.

             Diagonal, IA 50845

DISCLAIMER:

The author of this article does not endorse everything represented on/in suggested links, books, etc.  Each of us is accountable to God to weigh everything according to His Word.

All content of this article is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. The author sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. The information herein is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. The information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.  This is best left to the Creator of the universe.  In all health-related situations, “qualified healthcare professionals” should always be consulted.  The author deems THE GREAT PHYSICIAN to be most qualified.  The author assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material.

“No! Say, Stone!’”

My son, Jake demonstrated an interest in nature at a very young age.  We loved going for nature walks, identifying the critters, listening to their voices, etc.  For as long as I can recall, Jake also exhibited a tender heart toward children with “disabilities”.  When he was a pre-teen, we lived close to a state park which had a nature program for such children.  I talked to the director about the possibility of having Jake volunteer to help.  The director was very keen toward Jake’s young heart and was more than interested in having an assistant!  Once a week, Jake went to “work” at the nature center and to spend the day with his new friends.  What an experience this was for him! 

Jake developed a special relationship with Gina, a young girl who was blind.  Wanting to make something very special for her, Jake decided upon a “touch and feel” book of Bible stories.  Upon its completion, we made a trip to Gina’s home in order for Jake to present his gift to her.

Jake and Gina sat next to one another as he read the book to her.  At certain points in the stories Jake would take Gina’s finger and helped her to feel something that was described in the text.  We used a piece of sand paper to emulate a stone mentioned in one of the stories.  As Jake read about the stone, he took Gina’s finger and rubbed it across the sandpaper and explained, “This is a stone.”

After some time, Gina’s mother returned home from work.  Gina excitedly encouraged her mother to read the book that Jake had made.  When she came to the part about the stone, Gina’s mother took Gina’s finger, rubbed it across the sandpaper and said, “This is a ‘rock.’”  Gina promptly retorted, “No!  Say, ‘Stone!’”  Gina wanted to hear the story, just as Jake had told it!  Any other version seemed incorrect to her.

As sweet as this story is, I’ve come to realize more and more how tainted our lenses are toward hearing spiritual truth.  We’ve heard “the story” told in a certain way for so many years that we resist reading it without our tinted lenses; in fact, it is one of the most difficult things we’ll ever have to do.  We like the story the way that we’ve always heard it.  Regardless of whether or not we learned it accurately, it’s familiar and comfortable.

A number of years ago, I encouraged a lady to reexamine a particular spiritual subject.  Together, we read the various sections of scripture investigating the topic.  I then asked her what her thoughts were.  She reiterated her preconceived understanding.  I challenged her response, “But… what does Scripture say?  She acquiesced, “I know what you are getting at, but…. if I go there it will require me to re-evaluate everything I’ve ever believed.  You have to understand that everything my family has ever stood for rests upon this!  It is too frightening and over-whelming to consider that we’ve had it wrong all along.  I just can’t go there!”

Although I was pretty certain of her answer, I felt it necessary to ask,

“Are you saying that you’d rather believe a lie

than to seek truth

no matter what the outcome may be?”

With reservation she said, “Yes.”  My heart sank.  I knew she was not standing on solid ground.

As familiar and comfortable as it may be, your foundation may not be a solid rock.  In fact, it may very well be sinking sand.  The consideration is frightening; isn’t it?  I truly understand the fear.  I’ve been there!  However, at some point, we all have to face the reality that we only have two options:

1.      continue, in vain, to reinforce the unsupported and deceptive security upon which we’ve always trusted until there is nothing left to stand on.

2.      be willing to let the unstable foundation to come tumbling down around us and trust Father to rebuild a firm and lasting foundation, one solid rock at a time.

Or should I say “stone!?

Whole-Heartedly,

Bonnie

P.S.  Please feel free to contact me with questions, thoughts, topics you’d like to ponder or to read past articles at: http://whole-heartedlife.blogspot.com/.  You may also contact me at:

             Bonnie Jaeckle

             In Search of the Whole-Hearted Life

             Diagonal Progress

             505 Jefferson St.

             Diagonal, IA 50845

The Perfect Socks!

I’m knitting my first pair of socks!  Well…. I have obviously worn socks before.  It would be more accurate to say; “This is the first time that I’ve knitted socks!”  I’m not sure if my husband, Gary would agree, but for me it’s been kinda fun!  I like watching something develop that I’ve never tried to do before.  But, since these socks are custom made for him, every few minutes, I’m saying, “Honey, would you try this on, please?”  With a wee bit of a huff, off comes a slipper and a sock so that I can place my developing creation over his foot.  Yesterday he said, “I hope you are going to wash these socks before I wear them!”  Funny!

I bet I know why he’s not the most excited about this venture.  He tells me stories about his grandma making him socks as gifts when he was a young boy.  He describes these socks as bulky, hot and never fitted to his foot!  In Grandma’s defense, this wasn’t really her fault.  It used to be that all sock patterns were knitted from the top down.  When they got to the toe, the knitter had to somehow close the hole!  So… they pulled the gap together and closed it up with some yarn!  Talk about uncomfortable!  Socks in those days were made with the only yarn that was available which was a bulky weight, itchy wool!  Needless to say, this didn’t help the comfort measures for this young boy!

Gary hates bulky socks.  He hates hot socks.  He hates socks that don’t fit.  And… if they itch, forget it!  I can only imagine that he also hates socks puckered together at the toe with a glob of yarn!  I can just picture him as a young boy, desiring to appease Grandma and to show appreciation for her efforts, putting the sock on… yanking the sock off, putting the sock back on and yanking the sock off again.  I’m sure he did everything in his power to get the socks to “feel right,” but to no avail!

No wonder the poor guy is skeptical about my endeavor to make him socks!

Oh, but these socks are made with lightweight yarn that stretches

and conforms to his foot

and does not itch!

They will be warm in the winter and cool in the summer!

They are custom made to fit his foot only!

These socks are knitted from the toe up and…

like magic, a tunnel develops for his foot, but there are no seams!

These socks will be the perfect socks!

Where did I find such a perfect sock pattern?  http://www.k1p1design1.com/socks.html. Not only are there instructions for making these socks at this site, there are also videos to watch as someone shows you how to go about each step.  You don’t have to be a knitting expert to make socks.  This pattern can be as simple or as complex as you make it to be!  Try it!  It’s fun!

Whole-Heartedly,

Bonnie

P.S.  Please feel free to contact me with questions, thoughts, topics you’d like to ponder or to read past articles at: http://whole-heartedlife.blogspot.com/.  You may also contact me at:

             Bonnie Jaeckle

             In Search of the Whole-Hearted Life

             Diagonal Progress

             505 Jefferson St.

             Diagonal, IA 50845

Chest Colds – Momma Knows Best

Chest colds are no fun and it seems that this warm winter is the culprit for many of them!  Not only is that hacking and coughing exhausting, elevated temperatures often accompany these respiratory ailments causing chills, aching and fatigue which can be quite debilitating.  When we don’t feel good, we just want to “Be done with it, already!”  So… we often reach for the easiest, quickest “remedy”.  However, did you know that…

• while cough suppressants may be effective in quieting a cough; a productive cough is our body’s way of expelling mucus in the lungs and upper airways?  Suppressing the cough causes retention of secretions which can lead to secondary infections.
• fever reducing medications suppress our body’s ability to produce antibodies.  In fact, studies show that this actually results in the infection lasting up to 50% longer!  The elevated temperature actually destroys the virus or bacteria causing the problem.  They don’t like heat!

So… what am I suggesting; allow the fever to fry your brain cells and wait until you collapse from exhaustion before you take any action?  While this isn’t quite what I have in mind J, I would like to offer a few suggestions that may be more effective in the long run than the typical modern-day approach:

X-rays – if you have chest congestion and a productive cough, you don’t need a chest x-ray to tell you that your lungs and/or upper airways are congested.  You already know that!  It really doesn’t matter which lung!  It really doesn’t matter how far down the congestion runs!  What matters is you have respiratory congestion and you need effective treatment!  Don’t expose yourself to radiation needlessly!

Antibiotics – Most often chest colds are viral and not bacterial.  An antibiotic will have no affect whatever on a viral infection.  Taking antibiotics needlessly only builds your body’s resistance to antibiotics.  If you are unsure if your infection is viral or bacterial and you are keen on antibiotics, have a sputum specimen done.  If the infection is bacterial, the report will specify which antibiotics will be effective.  Don’t accept a wild guess from your doctor as to which antibiotic you need.  Personally, I’d hold off on the antibiotic until I knew it was absolutely the last result.

The measures that momma and many other caring moms always took when we had colds

are still as effective today as they were then and

most of us are alive and well to tell about it!

I would encourage you to use them:

REST – Momma would keep us home from school when necessary, but… there was “no horsing around!”  We were in bed!  She knew that our bodies needed rest to heal.  If we had a fever, she didn’t have to do much coaxing!  Isn’t it amazing that a fever makes us so tired that we can hardly function?  There is a reason for that!  We need to stop trying to function as normal so that we can heal!  If coughing is keeping you awake, use extra pillows to prop yourself up or sleep on your side to prevent drainage and facilitate freer chest movement.

FLUIDS – Momma always had hot tea, broth and water available on a chair next to our beds.  She knew how important it was to “Drink!  Drink!  Drink!”  An elevated temperature isn’t going to hurt us unless we become dehydrated.  Stay way from mucus producing fluids like dairy products.  Many herbal teas are very effective for cold treatments: Echinacea, mullein, elderberry to only name a few.

HUMIDITY – I remember that momma would make a misting tent over our bed with blankets.  She then placed steaming pans of water on a chair next to the bed and just inside an opening in the “tent”.  She knew that moisture in the air helps to relax the airways.  Run a humidifier, put a tea pot full of water on the stove and/or cover your head and shoulders with a towel and hold your head over a steaming pan of water.  Do anything that will help to increase the moisture in your respiratory system!

AROMATICS – Lozenges and cough drops are aromatics.  The aroma and cooling effects of the essential oils in them help to sooth the throat, quiet a cough and expectorate mucus.  When I was a child, Vicks Vapor Rub was also the ticket!  Momma rubbed it on our chests!  She rubbed it on our temples!  She even stuck it up our nostrils.  It was definitely her go-to item when we had a cold.  While studies have shown since then that shoving petroleum up your nose isn’t the safest thing in the world to do, using aromatics is still a very important part of treating respiratory ailments.  Here is a simple recipe for making your own chest rub that is not only quite effective at clearing congestion; the ingredients are a bit healthier than its over-the-counter “equivalents”.

Heat one ounce olive oil.  Add ¼ tsp Vitamin E and one tbsp. grated beeswax

When the wax is melted add:

60 drops eucalyptus

20 drops wintergreen

10 drops peppermint

2 drops thyme

Allow to cool thoroughly and solidify before using.  Rub on chest and back and apply heating pad or warm rice pack for 20 minutes 3-4 times daily.

While it is no fun to be miserable, don’t add fuel to the fire by shutting down your body’s natural defenses.  When we work in harmony with how Father has created our body to heal itself, we are reminded how fearfully and wonderfully made we really are (Psalm 139:14)!

Whole-Heartedly,

Bonnie

P.S.  Please feel free to contact me with questions, thoughts, topics you’d like to ponder or to read past articles at: http://whole-heartedlife.blogspot.com/.  You may also contact me at:

             Bonnie Jaeckle

             In Search of the Whole-Hearted Life

             Diagonal Progress

             505 Jefferson St.

             Diagonal, IA 50845

DISCLAIMER:

The author of this article does not endorse everything represented on/in suggested links, books, etc.  Each of us is accountable to God to weigh everything according to His Word.

All content of this article is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. The author sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. The information herein is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. The information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.  This is best left to the Creator of the universe.  In all health-related situations, “qualified healthcare professionals” should always be consulted.  The author deems THE GREAT PHYSICIAN to be most qualified.  The author assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material.

Be Still

We’d just finished chores and were returning to the house from the barn.  I paused momentarily to bask in the beauty.  With snow filtering down and blowing across the meadow, it looked like a scene from an old western movie.  While the splendor is etched in my mind, I wish I’d had my camera to take pictures that I could share with you!  The best I can do is to draw you a picture with words:

Our log cabin is in the forefront of the scene before me with the blacksmith shop housing our wooden wagon and the outhouse privy in the background.  To my right stands our shelter, constructed of rustic logs and limbs, providing winter protection for a covered buggy and some horse-drawn farm implements.  The old horse harnesses hanging from the side rails of the shelter are covered with a light dusting of snow.

The blowing snow creates a semi-translucent veil across the meadow, giving the illusion that this tranquil scene is ½ mile away; yet it is only a few yards in front of me.  This “western village” that normally hustles and bustles with activity is serene today.  The mercantile must be closed due to the heavy snow and the customers nestled into their homes baking, reading and playing checkers next to the warmth of their wood-burning stoves!

While it had stopped snowing by this time, Berea, our Border Collie, and I went for a walk in the winter wonder land the next morning.  I took my camera this time:

One of my best friends ever, Berea!

The village is still pretty quiet!

Nope, no one is working today either!

The stories they can tell!

Waiting for the summer hay.

The miles that I have traveled are many!

Battened down and nestled in!

On those days when everything seems to have stopped, do you take advantage of the opportunity to bask in our Maker’s glory which surrounds you?  For many years, I went so fast that I often didn’t notice His splendor.  The responsibilities of life seemed to crowd in so tightly that I often missed the occasions for reflection and rest set before me.

In order to get my attention, Father would often put Psalm 146:10 on my heart:

Be still and know that I am Lord!

In an effort to be obedient, I would sit before the Lord and force myself to “be still”.  While my body was inactive, time and again my mind simply would not shut off!  I recall a particularly restless time in my life when I was so over-whelmed with responsibilities, decisions and heartache, Psalm 146:10 came to my mind once again.  In my effort to “Be still,” I could hear as clear as a bell, “Bonnie, stop striving!”

I didn’t get it!  I thought I was supposed to make myself “be still.”  I opened my Bible to Psalm 146:10 and re-read the verse.  I looked up the meaning of “Be still,” and discovered that in its original language it means, “stop ceasing, put an end to your self-efforts”!

It was a revelation moment for me.  I understood in a deeper way that:

• I can’t trust in my own strength.
• I can’t rely on my emotions.
• I can’t fix the past.
• I am to walk by faith and remember that I am not God.
• The only Sovereign One is dependable.

The future is His!  He reigns as King of kings, and Lord of lords.  Rest is found in this reality.  Even when it doesn’t look or feel like it, goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of your life (Psalms 23:6).

Stop striving, my friend and know that He is God! 

Whole-Heartedly,

Bonnie

P.S.  Please feel free to contact me with questions, thoughts, topics you’d like to ponder or to read past articles at: http://whole-heartedlife.blogspot.com/.  You may also contact me at:

             Bonnie Jaeckle

             In Search of the Whole-Hearted Life

             Diagonal Progress

             505 Jefferson St.

             Diagonal, IA 50845

Well, I’ll Bee…!

Not only do honey bees fascinate me, they are good for our gardens and it is a real blessing to have a personal stash of sweetener on hand.  While I’ve used honey in baking for years, studies show that using honey from your own locale has additional health benefits.  So… I’m gonna try my hand at beekeeping this year!  Before I start, however there is so much to learn and it always helps to cement things in my head if I can share what I’m learning!  So… let’s talk honey bees!

There are three castes to a honey bee hive: the queen, the drones and the workers.

• There is only one queen per hive.  Her job is to sustain the next generation of honey bees and she does so by producing 1,000 – 3,000 eggs per day!  She has a stinger, but without a barb.  While she may use her stinger to ward off other queens, she rarely stings the beekeeper.

• The drones are the males.  Having no stinger, they cannot sting you or your livestock.  Their only job is to go from hive to hive mating with virgin queens.  Once a virgin queen has mated with several drones during her mating flight, she will lay eggs the rest of her life without having to mate again!  While this may seem convenient for the queen, the poor drone is no longer needed.  Consequently, the worker bees ban drones from the hive in the fall leaving them to die in the cold elements.  I suppose the drones might consider this a blessing since there are only 300 - 3,000 fellas per hive.  The rest are all female! J

• One hive consists of 60,000-80,000 worker bees in the summer.  Worker bees are always female, but do not lay eggs unless the hive becomes queenless.  Even then, the worker bee produces unfertilized eggs.  While she tries, she isn’t able to keep the hive alive without a queen.  The worker bee is born without wings.  After proving herself worthy by being a faithful worker in the hive for 21 days, she is granted wings.  She is often seen out and about foraging for pollen, water, nectar and propolis, a substance from trees used to mend holes in the hive.  The little worker bee is so devoted to the queen that she will work herself to death in 35-45 days.  The worker bee has a barbed stinger and is given only one chance to use it.  If it is any condolence to the receiver of her wrath, she dies after she stings.  I wonder if she knows that she better give it her best shot?

So what happens if the only queen dies?  How do honey bees keep populating?  The worker bees choose another queen from their clan.  They feed the honored one royal jelly which is made of pre-chewed pollen that is mixed with a chemical secreted from a gland in the nursing bee's head.  While this nutritional mixture is fed to all the larvae for the first two days of their lives, the “chosen one” continues to eat only royal jelly for the rest of her life.  This “super food” causes her to grow one and a half times larger and is what makes it possible for her to lay so many eggs.  As a result of her royal diet, “The First Lady” lives forty times longer than those on a less fortified diet.

How much honey does a hive produce per year?

That’s a difficult question to find a definite answer for.

From what I’ve read, we can expect from 50-250 pounds of honey per year!

Now, that’s what I’m talking about!

While the honeybee hive is perennial, it is quite inactive during the winter.  In fact, we had a beekeeper who kept his hives on our property in Iowa through the warm weather.  In the late fall, he would take the hives to California so that the bees could continue to produce honey.  If hives are left in the cold climate, the honeybees survive by clustering for warmth inside the hive.  Regardless of the outside temperature, it remains 93 degrees in the center of the winter cluster.  Before the winter chill hits, the worker bees have collected enough honey and water for the hive to survive the winter.  Wiser than most people, I’d say!

Fun facts, huh?  I hope that, like me, as I learned these facts, you found yourself saying, “Well, I’ll Bee…!” J

I’ll keep you posted as I learn more.

Whole-Heartedly,

Bonnie

P.S.  Please feel free to contact me with questions, thoughts, topics you’d like to ponder or to read past articles at: http://whole-heartedlife.blogspot.com/.  You may also contact me at:

             Bonnie Jaeckle

             In Search of the Whole-Hearted Life

             Diagonal Progress

             505 Jefferson St.

             Diagonal, IA 50845

If I Only Had a Heart

One of the most common Valentine symbols is the heart.  As I pause to consider what this signifies, I recall an incident that occurred during my emergency nursing career.

The paramedics reported that they were transporting to us a female who had been stabbed in the chest.  When she arrived, she was triaged into my care.  She was in no obvious physical distress, but was quite emotionally distraught.  As I patiently and gently prodded, she was able to give me a report of what had happened.  As the story unfolded, I discovered that she’d stabbed herself in the chest with a pair of scissors.  She felt that she was a bad person and feared that she didn’t have a heart.  Consequently, she decided to open-up her chest to find out!

While this seems odd to those of us who consider ourselves more emotionally stable, this precious woman may have had more sense about herself than most of the rest of us!  She realized that she was evil and that something needed to be done!

Scripture is replete with descriptions of the evil human heart, however Ecclesiastes 9:3 seems to sum it up best; This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.

The standard “treatment” for “psychos” such as this lady is medication and psychological therapy.  Sadly, the true condition of the heart is only masked through this approach for there is no cure.  The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it (Jeremiah 17:9)?

Even the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz expressed his awareness that something was missing within when he sang, “If I only had a heart!”  While the answer certainly isn’t in the Wizard, most would say that the answer is in Jesus.  Yet, nothing in Scripture indicates that our hearts are cured in choosing Christ.  Instead, Ezekiel 36:26 tells us that it is in receiving a new heart and spirit that we are cured,

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;

I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

The Hebrew word for “heart” is “leb” and it refers to our inner man, mind and will. 
The Hebrew word for “stone” is “eben” and it means rock or death.  In other words, the will is dead.  It can not choose!
The Hebrew word for “flesh” is “basar” and means mankind, flesh, meat.  In other words the will is made alive.

A dead rock cannot choose Christ!  But if it were given a heart filled with life: its will, its desire would be for Jesus.  So which comes first, we choose Jesus and He moves in or He chooses to dwell in us?  According to Ephesians 1:4, He chose us before the creation of the world.

Most would argue, “But we have free will.  We are not robots!”  Yet Scriptures reads that every intention of our hearts is evil (Genesis 6:5).  Is an evil heart capable of making such a righteous decision as choosing Jesus?  Instead, Ezekiel 11:19 tells us, I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.  It seems that Father is the only one with free will and will never yield His glory to another (Isaiah 48:11) for such an honorable decision.  Jesus makes this clear when He says; No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father (John 6:65).

Not unlike Lazarus, we lack the necessary power to resurrect ourselves.  Father saw the desperate and helpless state of our souls and in His great love and mercy commands, “Take away the stone.”  He then commands us to “come out” of the spiritual grave of lifelessness into life as a new creature (John 11:38-44, 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Note that once Lazarus was re-created, He wasn’t made perfect.  Instead, he was bound-up in grave clothes which needed to be shed.  Jesus didn’t tell Lazarus to take them off.  Lazarus couldn’t because he was bound by them.  Instead, Jesus told those who were in fellowship with Lazarus, “You do it!”

Celebrating love really isn’t about giving gifts of candy, flowers and cards on a certain day of the year.  True love is demonstrated daily, stinkin’ grave clothes and all, in noticing that which has us bound and helping one another to walk in the freedom which is ours in Jesus.

With new hearts it is possible for us to recognize who our LORD is; in fellowship with His people we are able to return to Him wholeheartedly (Jeremiah 24:7).

Whole-Heartedly,

Bonnie

P.S.  Please feel free to contact me with questions, thoughts, topics you’d like to ponder or to read past articles at: http://whole-heartedlife.blogspot.com/.  You may also contact me at:

             Bonnie Jaeckle

             In Search of the Whole-Hearted Life

             Diagonal Progress

             505 Jefferson St.

             Diagonal, IA 50845