The Heart
Proverbs 4:23 says " Above all else guard your heart, for everything you do flow from it"
The heart is our centerpiece. In popular culture, the heart is accepted as an artistic representation of our emotional body; The force that houses our moral dispositions. We beleve the heart drives, and allows us to show love and mercy; it Is where our moral compass lives. When a beautifully produced movie ellicits strong emotions or when we witness a heartwarming shift between actors we say it pulls on the strings of the heart. We come to understand the heart as this emotional body, as a beautiful manifestation of human socio-cultural belief. We believe this despite the science saying otherwise. The heart beats throughout our lives; it persists until death. Grief, heartbreak, anxiety, fear, sypmpathy, anger, love, not only guide our decisions which determine the course of our lives, but these emotions are the chords of the heart strings. They give color to our life experiences and are often accompanied by involuntary physical response we can felt right in the middle our our chest. Blood cells by the thousands are pumped throughout our body to catalyze essential functions, and to support major organs that sustain life. A scientist would say “The heart is an emotionless blood pumping machine with the sole job of supplying oxygenated blood and nutrients to our body” and he might add “Emotions are located in the brain processed by the prefrontal cortex and limbic system which consists of the Amygdala, Hippocampus, and Hypothalamus” and he may be right. But science says one thing, Culture says another. We understand the power behind our emotional body. So much so, we’ve chosen the heart, our central organ, to represent the source of our experiences.
What does god mean when he says “Above all else, guard your heart”. May it be a advice to humans to protect the very source of your want to explore, to live in authentically and to be creative. He is also warning of our vulnerability. As we journey down our paths we must stay vigilant to avoid being led astray or falling into pitfalls. I like this verse because of its simplicity and sensuality. It acknowledges our imperfection, our corruption, and our free will. Everything you do flows from the heart. God refers to the proverbial internal heart that lies inside of the flesh and body declaring everything you do flows from there. I think god is saying you are not your thoughts. Because if you were the thoughts themselves how could you guard it too? You are the sky and your thoughts are passing clouds. We have been blessed with the ability to be an observer of these thoughts that can emerge from good spirit- god or from evil spirits –the devil and his followers. Pay attention to what you feed your soul. From the music you listen too, the media you consume, the people you allow into your life, the though patterns you promote and the ones you discard of. You are an overseer, a captain, a landlord. Audit your thoughts, align them akin to the direction you wish to follow. A good tree will not produce bad fruits.
There was a time in my life when I felt severely damaged. Its a part of life. I was hurt, and with this seething pain that afflicted me daily It led me to hurt others. It inspired a toxic attitude I identified with disconnecting me from other people. I was left isolated and alone which only amplified my feelings of self-pity and selfishness. My behaviors became shaped by a perception of the world that was heavily distorted; a view that was not in line with my values about the world and seeking righteousness. What I failed to see is that perception is more real than reality itself. We all see the world through a filter set by our nurtured beliefs, ideals, propensity toward positivity and negativity, optimism and pessimism. Once I changed what I wanted to see, the things that I saw changed. I no longer saw lust everywhere. Instead I saw and indivudual soulful human being seeking love and connection. I no longer hungered for wealth and power. Instead I yearned for peace and stability. I sought out goodness, and what came into my life was God's Grace even in times of trouble and chaos. If you have ever thought about buying a new car, you probably experienced a phenomenon were the car that you chose suddenly appears everywhere. Or the name of a new Love interest suddenly becomes a common name you see on TV or at work and in the books you are reading. The Red Car Theory illustrates how our attention and focus can influence our perceptions of the world around us. This postmodern world is a spiritual warzone between Goodness, love, peace, grace and evil, hatred, lust, and greed. A warrior for good resonates at a frequency of light which spreads to people who are connected to them. He wants us to harness our power to govern the heart and guard it so it shines drawing out the darkness that seeks to draw us further away from his Kingdom. God says guard your heart. Everything you do flow from it.
