The heart…
It’s an interesting process for me to think about the heart and how we as humans live in the everyday midst of it. Of course we probably all think more about our hearts then it just simply being a muscle in our chest that contracts multiple times a minute, pumping blood throughout our body allowing us to live. To have such a simplistic view of the heart would go against the great depths at which we view this part of ourselves…the heart is more than a muscle…more than flesh and blood.
The heart is a part of the love we feel when we see our children born…its part of the pain we experience when someone hurts us emotionally or physically. Sometimes when we make important decisions in our lives we say we, “followed our hearts”…when we lose someone close to us we might say our hearts are “broken”.
There is just an unlimited amount of views we have concerning our hearts, and these views and experiences can have significant influence on the quality and purposefulness in our lives.
I think something we can easily forget is that God sees our hearts from within…He has constant knowledge of the things we’re really dealing with…with the things we try and hide through our outward appearances and actions.
In chapter 16 of 1 Samuel in the Bible, we find Samuel on assignment in Bethlehem waiting for God to point out to him the new anointed King of Israel. During a worship service Samuel spots a man named Eliab that he’s certain is God’s anointed King of Israel based on Eliabs’ stature and the way he looked.
God quickly tells Samuel in verse 7 “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judge’s people differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”
The truth is this brothers and sisters; we stand completely exposed under Gods loving and watchful eye. The “purity” or possible “corruption” of our hearts is in plain sight to God, and there is nothing we can do to hide. It’s important to understand that finding and keeping true purpose in our lives means allowing our hearts to be renewed by God…and that starts with exposure.
While God does see everything in our hearts without us telling Him, the act of sharing and daily committing our hearts to Christ creates intimacy with Him. It also motivates us to keep focus on the pure and good things in our lives as well as well as create healthy relationships with others. Yes, other people are also a part of what can help make our hearts whole! God did not create us to live life apart from others, and sharing the authentic nature of our hearts with trusted friends and family will create stronger bonds and stronger more pure hearts.
So I encourage you brothers and sisters, seek out God with your heart first and hold nothing back. While it might feel strange to be completely honest with Him, just remember that God has literally seen it all…there is nothing in your heart that is going to shock God.
I also encourage you that as you engage with God you ask Him to transform and renew your heart. Understanding that this transformation will not cause you to be shielded from those things that can harden your heart, but that this transformation will help you to remember that falling into God instead of the world, is what will get you through the tough times when they eventually come.
And please…don’t feel like you have to hide or be fake…you are not alone in your trials and we are all dealing with the issues that want to corrupt our hearts and make us ineffective for Christ in the world.
You are not alone….
You are not alone.
