Is there a Tourniquet for the Heart?

Aron Ralston was an accomplished mountaineer and avid outdoorsman when he set off for a leisurely Saturday afternoon of climbing in Blue John Canyon, Utah. Miles from his vehicle and over 100 feet up the side of a remote canyon wall, Aron experienced a living nightmare when a massive rock became dislodged directly above him.

The immense 800-pound boulder should have claimed his life, mercilessly crushing Ralston's right arm and wrist against the canyon wall. In harrowing detail, he recounts the moment he faced an unimaginable choice: to amputate his own arm while suspended 100 feet above the ground, teetering on the brink of death.¹

Driven by sheer will, his audacity to embrace the unthinkable, along with a hastily fashioned tourniquet, ultimately became his lifeline—a testament to human resilience in the face of overwhelming odds.

The odds of finding yourself in Ralston’s position are astronomical. However, knowing how to create and use a tourniquet in emergencies can save a life—yours or someone else’s. A tourniquet can be made from materials as simple as a strip of T-shirt and a stick. Although these two basic materials are simple and almost universally available, when applied properly, they become powerful life-saving tools.  

This crude medical tool stops severe bleeding by applying pressure to a limb. A properly applied tourniquet is always placed between the wounded limb and the heart. The pressure a tourniquet creates presses the wounded vein or artery against the bone to slow or stop blood flow.

Many studies have shown that tourniquets significantly reduce mortality rates in traumatic bleeding situations. As many as 40% of all trauma-related deaths occur due to blood loss. Many of those deaths could be prevented by applying a tourniquet within the first few minutes of a medical emergency.²

Tourniquets are not without risk. Even when applied correctly, there are potential dangers, such as nerve damage or loss of the limb if left on for too long. However, the risk of not using one can be far greater!

In high-stakes situations like Aron’s proverbial “Rock and Hard Place,” it’s a no-brainer. However, many situations are not as clear-cut. If you’re faced with a life-threatening injury, the priority is to stop the bleeding. You can always seek medical help afterward to address any complications that may arise from the tourniquet itself.

This raises a natural question: 'What about when your heart is bleeding? Is it possible to create a tourniquet for the heart?' Obviously, there’s no literal tourniquet that can be applied to the human chest cavity to exert the necessary pressure to slow or stop a bleeding vein or artery. However, there is a spiritual parallel to the tourniquet that functions in all situations and heals all bleeding… including a wounded heart.

1. It heals the wound rather than wrapping it up

Just as a physical tourniquet should only be applied in extreme circumstances, so too should a tourniquet for the heart. There are moments in life when our circumstances become so overwhelming and the wounds so deep that only a radical medical procedure can help. Jesus didn’t come to earth to help hurting people; rather, He came to offer a new heart to those whose wounds could not be cured.

2. It improves the body rather than restricting blood flow

It is always dangerous to restrict blood flow. The risks associated with a tourniquet are significant. However, some events in life are so traumatic that only the most extreme responses can save a life. This is what sin does to the human heart. Its damage is so profound and severe that it requires an extraordinary response to overcome it. Jesus alone claimed to have the authority to cure both the physical body and human sin in Mark 2:8-11.

3. It restores the heart, rather than restricting it.

There is almost always damage associated with the site of a tourniquet, and sometimes that damage can last long-term. Anyone who has ever gone through significant moral or spiritual trauma knows that the scars last a lifetime. Jesus came to remove the trauma, scars, and all (2 Corinthians 5:17).

All of us find ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place of our own making. Jesus can remove your feeble tourniquets and create a new heart within you. However, to receive His offer of forgiveness of sin and newness of life, He requires total surrender. Anything less than placing Him above all else is not worthy of Him, according to Luke 14:26.  

I realize that following Jesus requires an extreme sacrifice. However, what He offers in return far outweighs the cost of that sacrifice. Only the Great Physician can remove your feeble tourniquet and heal your wounds. Only the One who created the human heart can recreate it anew after you have damaged it beyond repair. Only He can transform a wounded, messy life into something beautiful that honors God. If you’ve been trying to place a tourniquet on your wounded heart, why not take it to Jesus and ask Him to replace it with a new one? It’s better to lay down your wounded life and find new life in Him!