I lay there looking at the image, mesmerized as the colors flowed across the screen. Red, blue, orange, yellow….and as I lay there the first thing that came to my mind was an image of the four-cycle stroke cycle of a gasoline motor. Then my mind was drawn to that gigantic Sun diagnostic machine in the service department at Royal Oldsmobile where I watched entranced as the technicians diagnosed issues with those mighty Rocket V-8’s. That’s all it is, I thought, I’m in the service department and it’s just a tune-up.

Then just as quickly she was there….my first true love. It was 1968 and I remember turning the corner and coming face to face with her. She was dressed in a stunning gown of Cameo White and Fire Frost Gold, and I couldn’t help but stare at the two large bulges right in front of my eyes. Then she spoke….and it was like all the angels in heaven joined in the chorus. The key turned and that mighty Oldsmobile Rocket 455 V-8 came to life, she was breathing heavily through those two large hood scoops, and I was gone, totally in lust, my heart pounding to the steady thrum of the exhaust, and my mind awhirl with thoughts of taking that Hurst-Olds 442 out on the open road and seeing what she was made of. I can tell you the difference between an Olds 455 and any other engine still to this day!

But I digress. As I watched the echocardiogram screen and the steady rhythm of my heart I felt strangely calm. Whether the diagnosis was “just a tune-up” or something else it didn’t matter. Mentally I began doing the math….70 beats a minute, 60 minutes an hour, 24 hours a day, and 365 days a year means my heart will beat almost 38 million times (okay, lying there I just knew it was “a lot” and used a calculator later). Then, with an average life span of 78 years my heart will beat 2 billion-869 million-776 thousand times!

Boy, I sure hope it’s in good shape! And just as quickly as that 455 V-8 rumble had rushed into my head it was gone, replaced by Jesus’ words in Matthew, Chapter 5, verse 8: “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

From the Old Testament and down thru the New Testament, the idea is clear that God desires more than Cameo White and Fire Frost Gold external appearances. He desires more than adherence to set performance specifications. He desires an inner transformation of the heart. Along with Jesus’ words we hear King David’s prayer, “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

So, we’ll see what the doctor has to say about the mechanics of my heart. But what I’m more concerned with is its transformation, leading to sincerity, love, and devotion in a relationship with God and neighbor that goes beyond mere outward appearance. How about you, how’s your heart?