One of my "life verses" is Proverbs 4:23: "Above all else, guard your heart, for from it flows the wellspring of life within you."
Above all else? Really? Wow. It still surprises me.
And it begs me to stop and ask myself the question, "Am I doing that today?" Are you?
The phrase "guard your heart" doesn't imply watching over some dangerous, wicked thing that needs constant monitoring lest it lead you down paths straight to Hell. No. It implies nurturing and caring for your heart because that is where all true life and goodness flow from. (And through!)
For me, to guard my heart means I must practice the spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude. I must heed the voice of my True Love who beckons me to come away with him. I must quiet the inner workings of my soul and the outer clamoring of my world that I may "be still and know that I am God."
To guard my heart means that I need to lighten up on myself and live more intentionally in the expansive grace of God's mercy and joy. It means diving into the depths of God's current astonishing love for me and drinking it in! Splash around in it! Stay in it! Rest. Do something fun just for fun. Enjoy. Taste.
To guard my heart entails not only noticing but lingering in the unfolding wonder of the glorious summer all around me. And letting it remind me that an endless Summer of golden ripeness is coming. It's coming.
Guarding my heart means breathing in the truth that Jesus has accomplished everything necessary for my (and your!) certain and eternal happiness—and breathing out my doubt and fear that he has not. That I am not _____. (Fill in the blank.)
Okay, I am not enough. I'm not meant to be.
Jesus is more than enough.
I can't do it. I'm not meant to "do it."
Jesus has done it.
Oh, rest, my soul. Rejoice, my heart. He holds you well. He holds us all quite well. And I am, and we are then, guarded.
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