Guarding Our Heart

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, on your own intelligence do not rely.

In all your ways be mindful of Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

 Guarding the heart can have many different connotations: guarding feelings, guarding our trust in others, trying not to get emotionally hurt, etc. However, I want to speak from the meaning I am perceiving from the reading above in Proverbs. We are called to “be in the world but not to be of the world” or ruled by what the world teaches. Often in the classes I teach on marriage, I encourage couples to start looking at their marriage more through the eyes of Christ and less through the eyes of the world. This to me is a deeper meaning to guarding our hearts.

 The world teaches us things like, “It’s your body, you can do what you want; even if you want to have an abortion,” and “Having too many children is irresponsible,” and “If you’re not happy in marriage, you should get a divorce and do whatever makes you happy.” And the list goes on. The world has a way of encouraging us to say and do whatever we want regardless of reality, truth, and decency. As Christian though, we are called to order our hearts differently and less selfishly.

 True happiness comes from knowing that God loved each of us into existence out of pure graciousness and a deep longing for us to know Him in heaven someday. He establishes rules to guide our lives away from the slavery of sin that only seeks to entrap our hearts even more. Guarding our hearts calls us to allow Christ to be our true source of trust and happiness and love. As we do this and allow Christ to shape our hearts, we will see His grace transform our love for our spouse, our children, and others. So, in all matters of the heart, seek to love, especially your spouse, as Christ loves you.     

 ACTION STEP: This week, pray for the grace to look at the world through the eyes of Christ and to love other’s accordingly.