Heartstrings Part 1
November 17, 2025
Heartstrings Part 1
Welcome to this series of Daily Reflections on Heart Strings.
You’ve likely heard this phrase used in tender moments:
“That movie pulled on my heartstrings.”
“Whenever you say you love me, it tugs on my heartstrings.”
“I saw that little puppy in the pet store, and she stirred my heartstrings.”
“When you told me of the family’s plight, it touched my heartstrings.”
The term “heartstrings” originated in the 1400s, when early scientists studying human anatomy believed the fibers supporting the heart were like strings, like the hamstrings in the legs. Though they later discovered these were not strings, the phrase stayed a powerful metaphor for the emotions that stir our hearts.
Every time I look at certain cherished photographs, they pull on my heartstrings. That is why I look at them only at special times; the emotions they evoke run deep and take time to settle.
We all have tender images, stories, or memories that awaken deep feelings. For example, advertisements for St. Jude’s or the Shriners’ hospital programs with children often tug at our heartstrings. When we see a defenseless life in distress, especially a child or an animal, it feels as if someone has reached into our chest and given our heart a gentle tug.
Why do we feel such empathy when we see injustice, pain, or human need? Because our heart's center of intelligence instantly alerts us to injustice, pain or suffering of some kind. Something has gone against the human dignity, its spirit, or our sense of right and wrong, decency, fairness, and care.
The heart does not analyze why its heartstrings are pulled. It simply acts. It may bring tears, compassion, or even a specific action. Our heartstrings are part of our moral compass because we trust the heart’s intuitive knowing.
We actually pull our own heartstrings because our values and levels of empathy and caring are the string pullers. Our heartstrings would never be pulled if it were not for our emotional sensitivities.
But our heartstrings do not pull only for the suffering of others. They are also stirred by experiences that mirror our own joys and struggles. Our empathy deepens when we recognize ourselves in another’s story.
The heart center of intelligence is a divine gift, our inner barometer of feeling. Without it, we would move through life relying only on mind and body, unable to sense what we love or what truly matters. We know connection, compassion, grace, and mercy through the heart.
If you were to draw a heart like the one in the picture in this Reflection, what would you place at the end of each heartstring leading from your heart?
Spiritual practice: Take an inventory of your most tender feelings, stirred when something tugs at your heartstrings. Write a journal entry explaining why these particular things most pull on your heartstrings.
Self-inquiry: How is it that you are the “puller” of your own heartstrings?
Prayer:
Dear God, For your Scared Heart, I am forever grateful. Amen
