For the month of April, I have the privilege of sharing the heart of a fellow chaplain and friend. Chaplain David Peacock is our Cardiac Care Chaplain in the hospital where I serve and is Pastor of Hickory Hills Church in Alabaster, AL. Since Chaplain Peacock supports those having issues with their hearts, I asked him to share with us how he cares for the hearts of patients beyond the physical. If you know him, then you know a minister who loves to see people experience reconciliation with one another, themselves, and with God. Beyond relationships, he talks about the importance of reconciling the head and the heart when one is faced with a factual situation that the heart just does not want to accept. He recommends during these confusing situations to ask questions in order to reconstruct a new future. He poses the following questions for us to consider regarding the importance of those conversations with others, self, and God:
What If?
What if a conflict could bring us closer to one another?
What if a disagreement reveals what we deeply care about?
What if we attempt to understand up close versus throwing stones from afar?
What if we really listen for once?
What if those who yell the loudest are actually those who are most afraid?
What if an enemy could become an allay?
What if our conversations could inspire other conversations?
What if?
My chat with Chaplain David Peacock regarding the heart, reminds me of a quote from one of my favorite books/movies The Secret Life of Bees:
Lily Owens: If your favorite color is blue, why did you paint the house pink?

August Boatwright: That was May’s doing. When we went to the paint shop, she latched on to a color called, “Caribbean Pink.” She said it made her feel like dancing a Spanish Flamenco. I personally thought it was the tackiest color I had ever seen, but I figured if it could lift May’s heart, it was good enough to live in.

Lily Owens: That was awfully nice of you.

August Boatwright: Well, I don’t know. Some things in life, like the color of a house, don’t really matter. But lifting someone’s heart? Now, that matters.

To my friend, David, and to August Boatwright, I say, Amen. What if we realize lifting someone’s heart is truly our shared purpose in this life. Now that is what truly matters. May we all lift the heart of another this month.
From my heart to yours,

Chaplain Kim Crawford-Meeks
03/26/2019