Keeping Kardia

by Shad Berry

I'm no etymologist, but words fascinate me. Kardia, in many of its uses, has captivated my attention for a long time.  As a Bible student, kardia appears multiple times as the Greek word for heart. 

Not the organ that pumps blood through your body. Kardia is the figurative core of your being.  It is the seat and center of human life, emotion, volitional will. It is the "causative source of one's psychological life in its various aspects." All that to say, your heart is a huge deal and deserves attention and care!

Interestingly, the word heart has a beautiful connection to the word courage.  In Latin, the root word for courage is Cor, which is the Latin word for the heart as the seat of feelings.  In Middle English, there were at least four uses of the word courage:

  • Bold corage, which meant "braveheart."

  • Careful corage, which meant "sad heart."

  • Fre corage, which meant "free will."

  • Wikked corage, which meant "evil heart."

Today, we limit the word courage primarily to being brave or bold.  Someone with courage is willing to take risks and do scary things, maybe even dangerous things.  In its original use, courageous people were those who kept heart. As opposed to being disheartened or discouraged, they drew heart from others and God to remain courageous.  When someone becomes discouraged, they need various forms of encouragement. The most effective means of heart restoration and care is relationship. Being seen and known by another human being who has heart to share in a time of need is the essence of encouragement. 

On multiple occasions in times of fear and uncertainty, Jesus told his friends to "take heart" or "take courage" accompanied by the assurance that He was with them.  It was not a commitment to make things easy or to solve all of their problems. It was an affirmation of His love and that He would not abandon them, especially when times were the darkest.  They drew courage from their relationship with Him. 

Like water from a well, courage is drawn from a source outside of ourselves.  A friend who freely lends courage to you when you are emotionally dehydrated is a wellspring, and whoever has access is wealthy.  The challenge for many of us is that it takes vulnerability to receive encouragement because it requires admitting that you need it, and that feels risky.  Vulnerability is risky because in it you are exposed to the possibility of rejection and judgment; vulnerability also opens the door of potential. When you trust someone who is trustworthy, your potential for growth, healing, hope, freedom, and courage expands exponentially.    

If you are lacking courage and have lost connection with your own heart, others you love, God, or creation, Kardia exists to support and encourage you.  Keep heart and take courage. You are not alone. If you have been discouraged and attempted to “deal with it” on your own, I hope you will take the risk of trusting and making room for the hope of healing.