I'm a sucker for a good road trip story. Frodo and the gang on the way to Mordor. Luke and the gang on the way to destroy the Death Star. Chief Brody and the gang looking for a great white shark.
In the Bible, however, we see that our hearts are often linked to a journey.
Jesus and the Bible talk about the heart a lot. We are to guard it for some reason. It is where our treasure is. Out of it flows our true nature. And the peace of God will guard our heart if we lean into Him. The heart is somewhat like a GPS for our life.
Now a GPS system is great. We use them all the time on road trips. And usually they are good. Sometimes--not so much. Ours has gotten us lost before. Especially around Washington D.C. For some reason our GPS has no idea what roads are there or not when in the DC area. We often end up taking some random offramp into the slums of DC and driving around in circles until we find our way back with no help from our GPS.
And of course, every time we drive near DC we say "let's try to remember what the correct road is this tie because the GPS will be wrong." And every time, we've forgotten so we follow the GPS into the heart of DC one more time.
So the damages of past hurts, of fear and doubt, can screw up your heart's GPS system and send you meandering through places you don't want to go to.
Consider the call of wisdom in Proverbs:
In the Bible, however, we see that our hearts are often linked to a journey.
Jesus and the Bible talk about the heart a lot. We are to guard it for some reason. It is where our treasure is. Out of it flows our true nature. And the peace of God will guard our heart if we lean into Him. The heart is somewhat like a GPS for our life.
Now a GPS system is great. We use them all the time on road trips. And usually they are good. Sometimes--not so much. Ours has gotten us lost before. Especially around Washington D.C. For some reason our GPS has no idea what roads are there or not when in the DC area. We often end up taking some random offramp into the slums of DC and driving around in circles until we find our way back with no help from our GPS.
And of course, every time we drive near DC we say "let's try to remember what the correct road is this tie because the GPS will be wrong." And every time, we've forgotten so we follow the GPS into the heart of DC one more time.
Consider the call of wisdom in Proverbs:
"I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice, bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me and making their treasuries full." Proverbs 8:20-21
"The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves, but a fool’s heart blurts out folly... Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up...In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality." Proverbs 12:23,25,28
Now, as an English teacher, I enjoy a good motif. Notice that in these verses that our life here on earth is likened to a a journey. It's a path. We either move on a good path that leads to life and immortality and a good inheritance or we move on a path of folly, anxiety and destruction. If you're like me, you are probably humming "Life is a Highway" right about now.
So much can be said about how to end up on the right path, but the simplest directive can be found in Proverbs, and reiterated by Jesus in Matthew:
So much can be said about how to end up on the right path, but the simplest directive can be found in Proverbs, and reiterated by Jesus in Matthew:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ Matthew 22:37
And like most things in the Bible, those statements are tremendously profound and true, and seemingly simple to do and yet in practice they are often so very hard to do.
And there's a reason for that. In pop culture, you pretty much know if someone is told "whatever you do, don't do (insert instruction here)" that sometime during that movie they will do that thing. Walk off the yellow brick road. Feed Gremlins after midnight. Leave before the Jedi training is done.
As human beings our heart has tremendous potential for good but it is also easily ensnared in emotions and damages that war against your very soul. The very thing that helps us to identify God and lean into Him can also be the instrument of our undoing.
And there is no quick fix. Yes, pray early and often. Yes, read your Bible daily. Yes love God and love people. And yet, there is still something askew in the inner sanctum of your heart. And when you least expect it, it can pop up and rip you from the path you were on.
Like Michael Scott from The Office, it can direct you to drive your car into a lake. And that can turn you into a Michael Scott rage-monster.
The truth is like those verses in Proverbs suggest, life is a journey. Faith is a journey. And we usually follow our heart in determining which path to take. Oh, and SPOILER ALERT, the Bible tells us that ALL OF US will fail at some point. That none have succeeded in this whole right path thing for the entirety of our lives.The best thing we can do is to seek God with all of our heart, mind, and strength. If we lean into Him and not our own understanding, we increase the likelihood that we choose the path of life. And that's because of our own heart being strengthened by proximity to God and because of the promise in Philippians 4:7:
There is protection for our hearts and our lives in leaning into God instead of our own understanding and emotions. There is a reason why God's peace will guard our hearts and minds for us. It's because we are incapable of doing it ourselves.
The fact is, you are ALWAYS on a path to somewhere. You are never STAGNANT. You are either skipping down a PATH OF LIFE or stumbling down a PATH of DESTRUCTION. And sometimes, like a faulty GPS, your heart can't tell the difference. What seems right to you in that moment, later will be the right that sent you into the lake.
Consider your paths. Guard your heart. Seek God and lean not into yourself, your feelings, your conceptions of people, places and things. Let God sort it out for you. He will guide you and make your paths straight.
And there's a reason for that. In pop culture, you pretty much know if someone is told "whatever you do, don't do (insert instruction here)" that sometime during that movie they will do that thing. Walk off the yellow brick road. Feed Gremlins after midnight. Leave before the Jedi training is done.
As human beings our heart has tremendous potential for good but it is also easily ensnared in emotions and damages that war against your very soul. The very thing that helps us to identify God and lean into Him can also be the instrument of our undoing.
And there is no quick fix. Yes, pray early and often. Yes, read your Bible daily. Yes love God and love people. And yet, there is still something askew in the inner sanctum of your heart. And when you least expect it, it can pop up and rip you from the path you were on.
Like Michael Scott from The Office, it can direct you to drive your car into a lake. And that can turn you into a Michael Scott rage-monster.
The truth is like those verses in Proverbs suggest, life is a journey. Faith is a journey. And we usually follow our heart in determining which path to take. Oh, and SPOILER ALERT, the Bible tells us that ALL OF US will fail at some point. That none have succeeded in this whole right path thing for the entirety of our lives.The best thing we can do is to seek God with all of our heart, mind, and strength. If we lean into Him and not our own understanding, we increase the likelihood that we choose the path of life. And that's because of our own heart being strengthened by proximity to God and because of the promise in Philippians 4:7:
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
The fact is, you are ALWAYS on a path to somewhere. You are never STAGNANT. You are either skipping down a PATH OF LIFE or stumbling down a PATH of DESTRUCTION. And sometimes, like a faulty GPS, your heart can't tell the difference. What seems right to you in that moment, later will be the right that sent you into the lake.
Consider your paths. Guard your heart. Seek God and lean not into yourself, your feelings, your conceptions of people, places and things. Let God sort it out for you. He will guide you and make your paths straight.
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