"Guard Your Heart"

So many times growing up…and even in the last few years, people always say “guard your heart.” At some points, I have recognized the need for the “guarding of the heart.” It is a popular thing for people to say in Christianity-or at least the Christianity I have "seen" the last 17 years. I have even heard it told to a young woman, who just having been used and abused by a man, that if only she had “guarded her heart” she would not have been going through that tough time. It made me angry to hear that at that time. My friend probably did think about that in the process but the last thing she really needed to hear at her lowest point was that she should have guarded her heart. Of course, if she is a professing Christian she realized that already. Just stick a helping hand out or a shoulder to cry on-don’t lecture about something that you do not even understand. If that person knew what it really meant to “guard one’s heart” she would have helped the young woman guard her own.

Don’t worry or check out on me. I am getting to something so just bare with my antics. A few years ago, my mother kept telling me “guard your heart,” “guard your heart,” “guard your heart, it is going to hurt if you give too much of your heart away and you don’t get the same thing in return.” Well, while I completely understood the “Christian” motherly rationale behind this statement, guarding my heart became an overwhelming task. It resulted in not easily trusting other people because I thought that if I were to “guard my heart” it meant never letting anyone close to the intricate person God has made me to be. Not to say that I did not have lasting deep relationships at the time that I began to think this way, but I know that other people missed out on me in their lives-and I missed out on having them. This was either because I pushed them away, or I thought they had to earn my trust…I initially thought (with some people not all) that they were only going to break my heart so they had to earn the trust so that we could pursue a deeper relationship.

Now, when people say, just “guard your heart” Jess. I say-What exactly do you mean by that? Like….what does that even mean-can you tell me? Are you telling me to be careful or cautious with giving part of my heart away? Are you telling me to stay away from people and not let them get close to me at all? What exactly does “guarding your heart” mean to you? What most people seem to be saying is just “be careful.” Okay that is great. Thank you, but I would deem that “guarding my heart” is a bit deeper than that-At least from a Christian perspective.

First we should probably understand what our heart is. It is a center piece of who God has made us to be. It is the intimate part of a person, that which goes pitter patter for the one we love or our God-it is the same part that commits to the Lord. The heart, being something most precious and valuable that God’s word says this:
20 My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:20-23

The Scriptures use the word “heart” so many times. Just use a search engine or a concordance to look it up. You will see what I mean. We should guard our hearts from evil, from foul speech, from jealousy, from provoking others, from hatred, from this or that-all of these things can be found in the Bible…in commands and teachings about how we live the Christian life. In order to protect from these things we have to be equipped. We read Scripture, pray, and surround ourselves with those that are uplifting in spirit.

Philippians 4 says that if we are not anxious and pray then the peace of God that goes beyond all understanding will “guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

We should also guard our hearts, keep the heart safe, from those in our lives that only want to take and take and take; or from becoming overly emotionally attached to someone when we shouldn’t; or from trying to get fulfillment in things that are only temporary. I don’t know about you but as I list the many things we should guard our hearts against, it becomes exhausting and for me overwhelming-how can one guard themselves from all of these things intentionally? Is there a certain prayer or certain actions that we should take in order to do this?

While I believe that prayer and seeking God on a daily basis helps-it is the sure way of being in tune with God and His Spirit. I do know what doesn’t help. I learned that “guarding my heart” did not mean never letting anyone get close to me ever. It is not about making people earn a place in my life (which I think we do so often, especially at the Christian institution in which I work and attend school). Granted, we do not want to just let anyone into our personal lives, but we don’t want to end up not doing that either. I have felt recently that I have to prove myself to someone over and over again just to make them see that I am not like seemingly majority of people that have seemed to be stereotyped. But then I realized that I am not living for this person. I am living for me. And Christ in me proves true over and over again. The Holy Spirit leads and guards my heart so that I do not go astray. “Guarding my heart” does not mean not taking risks on being close to people-though for several months that is how I felt and I think that many of you feel the same way.

You can guard your heart and honor God and still get to know people on an intimate level; by intimate I mean the inner being of who the person is-their hearts. And if for some reason they “break your heart” well, you know who to turn to for healing. Now as far as all of the other things that you should be “guarding your heart” against-run from those-the sin…jet in the other direction…there is only death and destruction waiting when we do not guard against the things and people who are out to distract us from the purpose God has. To know Him and to make Him known. What a beautiful thing. “Guard your heart” and don’t allow it to be tainted by the things of this world. “Guard your heart” against cynicism-no one is perfect, but at least pray and seek God about how to “guard your heart’ in response to those around you. Some people, they don’t need to know all of your business; hey, probably most people do not need to know-but there are those that you and I may be keeping at an arm’s length that maybe if you let down some of the guardedness, there would be a bit of blessing on its way.

So, we should “guard our hearts” against the things of this world, against the lies, deceit, evil, lust, jealousy, envy, greed, etc. that the world would tell us we have a right to. We should “guard our hearts” enough so that we do not invest so much of ourselves into another person apart from God, that we are left feeling empty and broken. We should “guard our hearts” against our own flesh and thoughts that do not coincide with what God is saying.

We should render ourselves, our thoughts, and our hearts to the Lord Jesus-if we let Him lead and guide us, then “guarding our hearts” won’t be a mystery anymore. It won’t be complicated or misunderstood. The next time someone says to me “Jess are you guarding your heart?” or “Jess guard your heart” I think I will still as what that means-because I do not want to be one of those people that is so guarded due to the fear of being hurt or rejected that my life has no risks. Be wise, be rational, be filled with God’s Spirit to make appropriate decisions about “guarding your heart” but by all means do not just “guard your heart” for fear of receiving a broken one. Let the commitment run deeper than that. Render your heart to the One who saves, gives life, gives peace, gives precious joy.

Be totally, completely, unreserved with the love you have for Jesus Christ.