“If you want to know where your heart is, look at where your mind goes when it wanders.” —Unknown
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” —Jesus
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Wisdom Wednesday: The Heart Revealed
Isn’t it nice to find out someone was thinking of you while they were away? And isn’t it nice when they say something or give you something that says “I know you, and I love you”? My daughter found this tiny heart pebble while looking for shark’s teeth on a North Carolina beach, and she brought it back for me! She is truly a gift!
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I Heart You
Driftwood and a heart discovered by my daughter and me while waiting for a friend to arrive via a ferry. Thank you, Lord, for the different ways You speak to us and reveal Your love!!
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Have you ever hugged someone, who was wearing a nice cologne, and later caught a whiff of their fragrance lingering on you? Mmmmm…. Have you ever hugged someone or been in their presence long enough to have their stench get trapped in your nose? [gag] Whether a person physically smells good or bad, some people have sweet smelling spirits while others have stinky ones. Just as breathing in a pleasant scent can bring a smile to our faces and remind us of a nice hug, so, too, can a sweet spirit linger and cause us to smile.
In the letters to the Ephesians and Corinthians, Paul spoke of the sacrifice and love of Christ being like a fragrant aroma to God, like the incense used by Jewish priests in the tabernacle and temple. When we imitate Him, we, too, are like a sweet aroma to God, but we can also be like a sweet fragrance of life to others. That’s what I want— the sweet spirit of God that leaves a fragrance of life.
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Photo credit: Christopher Bruno via freeimages.com with text added
I have had a few occasions to witness the friendship and bond between bikers, and this past weekend, I was even privileged to ride in a Toy Run with a motorcycle club for the first time. I knew a motorcycle culture exists, but what I suspected was confirmed— not all motorcycle clubs or bikers are created equal. Although some bikers would not call themselves a Christ-follower, they put some of us, who call ourselves Christians, to shame.
On one occasion months ago, I watched a group of bikers getting ready to roll out of a restaurant parking lot after having had breakfast. As I watched, I noticed one of the bikers pull out onto the main road when the coast was clear. He positioned himself in the center of the lane so his fellow bikers could safely depart. Then he took up the rear.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” —Jesus
This weekend while riding in the Toy Run, one of the club member’s bikes developed a problem, so all of the members pulled over. ‘Sailor’, the one with whom I was riding, said, “We never leave anyone behind.” The members pulled together to assess and assist.
Duct tape fixes everything. Well… almost.
I don’t know everything there is to know about bikers and motorcycle clubs, but there is one thing I do know. In most cases, the heart is the same; it’s just a different face.
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. —Proverbs 18:24 KJV
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Photo credit minus type: Nithya Ramanujam via Free Images
This post is mostly for young people, but since I’m not immune, it’s a good reminder for those of us who are on the other side of the hill, too, especially for those who may be just starting a new stage in life.
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” —Proverbs 4:23 NLT
I, and I’m sure many others my age and older, can confirm the validity of Proverbs 4:23, because the course of our lives has been determined by what our hearts have followed. For some, it has been a pretty good road, but for others, it has been hard and filled with regrets. Although some people would say they are grateful for the lessons learned, if they could go back and have a do-over, they would.
“To know the road ahead, ask those coming back.” —Chinese proverb
“We’re prone to let circumstances fuel our emotions. Then our emotions dictate our responses, and so we become victims of our circumstances and of our emotions…” —Nancy Leigh DeMoss in Trials That Reveal Your Heart
“Look not upon your desires and your heart will not be confused.” —Chinese proverb
Sometimes flattery grabs the attention of our hearts, because it fills the common need of acceptance and love. Compliments and encouragement are one thing, but be careful of flattery that is intended to capture your attention for selfish reasons.
“The ear is the road to the heart.” —French proverb
Sometimes our present circumstances are tough or even bad, and all we want to do is escape, and we go for the first person or circumstance that would appear to rescue us.
“A fleeing person is not choosy about his road.” —Japanese proverb
“Whether you understand the motivations of your heart or not, really what’s driving your actions, and what’s driving your life and how you fill your day, actually comes back to what you believe is actually gonna bring about the most fullness of life possible for you.” —Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church in Fig Leaves, Lies and the Grace of God
“If you want to know where your heart is, look to where your mind goes when it wanders.” —Unknown
“Your feet will bring you to where your heart is.” —Irish proverb
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” —Jesus
“For where your treasure is…”
The deeper meaning of Proverbs 4:23 reveals the value of our hearts. Most other English translations more accurately read similarly to the NKJV, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Our hearts are like a water spring, a source, and everything in our lives flows from it, and that is what determines our course. It is like a life giving spring, but if it becomes polluted, it can mean disease or death, suffering and heartache, so we must guard it well.
I would be the last person to tell you that it’s easy to control the direction and affections of your heart. And changing the course of that direction can be especially difficult when it involves the heart of another as well. Have you ever found yourself involved in a relationship and found it difficult to let go because you didn’t want to hurt the other person? They usually end up getting hurt in the end anyway, so it’s better to guard your heart— and theirs— from the beginning.
“He is most free from danger, who, even when safe, is on his guard.” —Latin proverb
“It’s okay to follow your heart, but take your brain with you.” —Nicole Hill
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Photo credit: vassiliki koutsothanasi via freeimages.com with text added
I don’t know how many times I have heard someone say, “Just follow your heart,” as if our hearts never lead us astray. Oh, I understand what they’re trying to say, but I have witnessed so much drama and devastation by people who have taken that advice and followed their hearts with wild abandon. Yeah, go ahead and follow your heart, but don’t neglect wisdom.
“He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.” —Proverbs 28:26
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you’re the easiest person to fool.” —Richard Feynman, American physicist
“I try not to kid myself. You know, I don’t mind romancing someone else, but to fool yourself is pretty devastating and dangerous.” —Bill Veeck, baseball team owner
How do we know when we’re fooling ourselves?
One indication that we are fooling ourselves is when two or more people risk losing our friendship by being brutally honest with us about something and we reject it, because it’s not what we want to hear or believe. Even if other people say the opposite about us, we would do well to consider if the assessment has at least some validity.
“To be human is to err, but it is truly the fool who perseveres in error.” —Latin proverb
Another indication is when we blame others for a lack of success instead of considering if we might possibly be to blame or at least share a part in it.
“Those who see the faults of others, but not their own, are wise for others and fools for themselves.” —Latin proverb
“A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.” —Italian proverb
Yet another indication that we might be fooling ourselves is when we think more highly of ourselves than we ought. A common thing said by some Christians when facing adversity or resistance is to proclaim it’s because they are doing God’s will and are, therefore, under spiritual attack. Sure, it could be a spiritual attack if the spiritual realm is really threatened by us, but it could also be our own self-importance and folly that is causing the adversity and resistance.
“God and man think him a fool who brags of his own great wisdom.” —French proverb
“Self-exaltation is the fool’s paradise.” —Italian proverb
“I believe in my mask—The man I made up is me. I believe in my dance—And my destiny.” —Sam Shepard, American playwright, actor and director
And lastly, another indication that we might be fooling ourselves is when we cause drama, because we feel the need to be heard and vindicated. It is one thing to vent to one or two close friends privately. It is another thing to broadcast our perceived wounds and injustices to the masses, unless, of course, broadcasting a true injustice would actually benefit the masses.
“A fool carves a piece of his heart to everyone that sits near him.” —Italian proverb
“Wise men talk because they have something to say. Fools talk because they have to say something.” —Plato, Greek philosopher
“A fool is like the big drum that beats fast but does not realize its hollowness.” —Malay proverb
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Photo credit: Christopher Bruno via freeimages.com with text added
Have you ever seen the TV show True Beauty? It was a reality show in which men and women tried to compete for the title of “True Beauty”, $100,000, and a feature in People magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People issue. Little did the contestants know that the judges were looking for inner beauty and quality of character more than physical beauty.
“Beauty without virtue is like a rose without scent.” —Danish proverb
“A pretty face and fine clothes do not make character.” —African proverb
“As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.” —Proverbs 11:22 NASV
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” —Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
“Narcissus does not fall in love with his reflection because it is beautiful, but because it is his. If it were his beauty that enthralled him, he would be set free in a few years by its fading.” —W.H. Auden
“Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes all the way through.” —American proverb
“Pretty is as pretty does.” —American proverb (and Forest Gump)
“Grace in women has more effect than beauty.” —William Hazlitt
“There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness.” —Maria Mitchell
“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.” —Proverbs 31:30 NIV
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A poem by my friend, Randell Bell, with his permission.
After God’s Own Heart
A stony heart
Oh Lord I give
To be transformed
So I may live.
The price of sin
I know is death,
So I must change
Before my last breath.
A heart like Yours
Is what I need.
A heart of love,
Not selfish greed.
So change my heart,
And when You’re done,
Make me like
Your loving Son.
—RCBell ©2005
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” —Ezekiel 36:26
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Rene Yoshi
Sweet Rains 