Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23
As many of us know, a wounded heart is a terrible thing. We must guard our hearts wisely.
Due to the pain we experience in life it's easy to think and feel like we must guard ourselves from being hurt. But guarding our hearts from bitterness, resentment and fear is more important than guarding our hearts from mistreatment and hurts caused by others.
Sometimes we believe we should, and convince ourselves to, guard our hearts from people. Yet it's people we are called to love. In love we are called to lay down our lives and our preferences for others. To not hold onto our lives, even unto death.
In our minds we reason that if we guard our hearts from those who cause us pain then we are wisely protecting our hearts. But God says, to love our enemies. If someone hits us, turn the other cheek. If they demand we carry their baggage a mile, then willingly carry it two miles. Bless our enemies. Bless and do not curse.
So if we are supposed to guard our hearts who, or what, are we guarding them from?
I would suggest that we should guard our hearts from the darkness that tries to harden our hearts after we are hurt or offended. Guard from allowing bitterness or resentment to take root in your heart, because they will infect your heart. And an infected heart will contaminate your entire life.
Reevaluate the wisdom you may have believed, and the wisdom that is God's. Are we guarding our hearts from more pain and offense? From more trials? Or from the bitterness, unforgiveness and similar enemies of our soul?
As we learn to choose love, and walk in love, we will find that it is love that guards our hearts. Love actually protects us. Not from the occurrence of pain or offenses, but from the infection and contamination that often seeps in afterwards. Love that forgives protects us from the trauma that turns into bitterness and resentment.
We should not waste the energy of our lives being bitter or resentful over our past or present wounds. And we should not waste our lives living with hardened hearts trying to prevent ourselves from receiving new hurts. This is only a stance of fear, and it's twisted to be made to look like wisdom.
The love and wisdom of God within us helps us to see our enemies and their actions for what they are. A hurting soul living in their own fear. This is also what we have been, and at times still are.
It is not people, offenses, or trouble that we should try to guard our hearts against. But the dark fears, the lies, the unforgiveness, and the bitterness that threaten to strangle out the life in our hearts.
We guard against the darkness overtaking our hearts by listening to and learning from God - who is love. Allowing Him to heal us, and to interpret our hurts and pains for us. Seeing others from His view, so we can honestly, sincerely and fully love one another. Let’s learn to guard our hearts the correct way, with love.
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