人類的心臟是個神奇的器官。這個有如拳頭般大小的水泵（或幫浦）重量在200到425克之間，每天大約跳動10萬次，通過我們體內大約9萬6千公里的血管，運輸約7千5百公升的血液！心臟要把血液推送到全身每一個細胞，承擔著至關重要且又繁重的工作，由此可見，心臟的健康狀況是整個身體健康的核心。醫藥科學界因此大力倡導人人都要養成良好的生活習慣，因為心臟的狀況與我們的健康息息相關。

雖然醫藥科學是以權威談論人體的心臟，但上帝以更高的權威論述另一種「心」。祂談到了我們的心理、情感、靈性與道德的核心。聖經告訴我們，由於「心」是生命發展的核心，所以必須好好保護：「你要保守你心，……因為生命的泉源由心發出」（箴言4章23節，和合本修訂版）。守護我們的心能幫助我們謹慎口中的言語（24節），使我們用眼睛覺察辨識（25節），並使我們的腳步不會偏離正路（27節）。無論你我年紀多大，正處於哪個人生階段，當我們的心被守護，生命就被保護，各種人際關係就被護衛，而且上帝也能得著榮耀。

The human heart is an amazing organ. This fist-sized pumping station weighs between 7 and 15 ounces. Daily it beats around 100,000 times and pumps 2,000 gallons of blood through the 60,000 miles of blood vessels in our bodies! With such a strategic assignment and heavy workload, it’s understandable why heart health is central to the well-being of the entire body. Medical science encourages us to pursue healthy habits because the condition of our heart and the quality of our health go together.

While medical science speaks authoritatively about our physical hearts, God speaks with even greater authority about a “heart” of another kind. He addresses the mental, emotional, spiritual, and moral “center” of our being. Because the heart is the central processing unit of life, it must be protected: “Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). Safeguarding our hearts will help us with our speech (v. 24), compel us to be discerning with our eyes (v. 25), and choose the best paths for our feet (v. 27). Regardless of age or stage of life, when our hearts are guarded, our lives are preserved, our relationships are protected, and God is honored.