How’s Your Heart?

Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – June 2, 2015

As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. Proverbs 27:19

A very good friend has periodically asked me over the past five years, “How is your heart, Boyd?” Scott wants to know if I am emotionally healthy. He provides loving accountability to make sure I keep short accounts with those with whom disagreements may have escalated into arguments. He knows if my heart is whole from forgiveness then I am protected from angry outbursts. My heart heals quicker when I verbally process pain with a trusted friend. Admitting and understanding my hurt positions me to receive God’s healing grace. The fruit of a peaceful heart is a calm life.

Just as water reflects the face, so the heart reflects our life. We can see our exact representation in the mirror or in a photo. It can be quite humbling—especially when we’ve added a few pounds! So, in what ways does our life reflect what’s in our heart? A driven life reflects a self-reliant heart, never satisfied— . always on the move to reach the next goal. It rarely rests and it eventually wears out. A fearful life is a heart emptied of hope. Its lost initiative languishes in the inertia of self-pity. But a life of love has a heart full of faith. Its face radiates joy and peace.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).

How can we keep our heart healthy? We can guard it from unseemly influences. For example, a manipulative person may jab at our heart with words of guilt. “You always help others, but you are never concerned about me.” “You claim to be a Christian, but you lived an immoral life in the past.” First of all, consider the source of the criticism. Wounded people wound people. Instead of acting defensively—pray for them and love them, in spite of their insensitive, inaccurate and unfair remarks. We keep our heart healthy by not internalizing half truths from hurtful hearts.

Furthermore, we develop emotional wholeness by growing our heart in God’s grace. A heart full of grace has no room for unrighteous outrage or obsessive worry. Grace allows us to feel our feelings, so we are self aware regarding our emotional condition. Grace governs our responses so they are redemptive not regretful. Humility opens our hearts to receive God’s grace, so we can extend grace. Grace says we can when circumstances say we can’t. Grace forgives when a grudge gets back. Grace gets to the heart of the matter. It reveals who we are and who we need to become.

“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like” (James 1:23-24).

Prayer: Heavenly Father, grow my heart in grace, so I am able to give grace.

Related Readings: Proverbs 22:11; Acts 11:23; 2 Corinthians 9:14; Philippians 1:7; Hebrews 13:9

Post/Tweet this today: Grace allows us to feel our feelings so we are self aware regarding our emotional condition. #healthyheart #wisdomhunters

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