“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).
The above translation is not helpful. When we read “guard your heart” we think God is telling us to be careful about our feelings or emotions. But, that’s not what the Jews meant by the heart. For us, the heart is the place of emotions and feelings. But for the Jews, the heart was the place of the will and thoughts. The heart, for the Jew, was a lot like our brains.
What God is asking us to do is to guard our thoughts, for from our thoughts everything flows from it.
I have been convicted about this particularly when it comes to how I speak to myself. I say things to myself that I would never say to another person:
- You are so stupid!
- That was so dumb…You’re an idiot!
Yikes! I would never say that to anyone. And, yet, I say things like that to myself all the time.
Guard your thoughts. This is not helpful.
So, how do you guard your thoughts?
Ask yourself two questions:
- Does this harm me?
- Does this help me?
Guard yourself from thoughts that harm, thoughts that push you further away from God.
Be kind to yourself. Guard your thoughts for it is from your thoughts and what you say to yourself that everything flows from it.
Praxis: Faith in Action 