February 27: Writing the Text on our Hearts

by Marissa Danney

Jeremiah 17:7-8

Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, 
whose trust is the LORD. 
They shall be like a tree planted by water, 
sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, 
and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.

From what do we draw our energy for each day?

I remember realizing in high school that what I exposed myself to on a regular basis would begin to form my point of view of the world. If I listened to Britney Spears every day, then when I went through my first break up, the words “Oops, I did it again” would pop into my head (even if it didn’t quite make sense.)

 

There’s a Hasidic story that speaks to this well. A rabbi always told his people that if they studied the Torah, it would put Scripture on their hearts. One of them asked, "Why on our hearts, and not in them?" The rabbi answered, "Only God can put Scripture inside. But reading sacred text can put it on your heart, and then when your hearts break, the holy words will fall inside.”

By being intentional about what we make a part of our uneventful day-to-day, we prepare ourselves for those times when events shake our world to the core. By making prayer and meditation, and the reading of wise texts, a part of our every day we care for our selves in that moment, as well as our future selves.