Lead Your Heart

November 6, 2009

By Dave Kidd

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve”
(Jeremiah 17:9,10, NLT).

Feelings! We hear about them often. How many sentences do we begin with, “I feel” or “I don’t feel”? There is some cause for concern when relationships, especially marriages, are based on feelings.

One of my favorite lines from the movie “Fireproof” says that “you have to lead your heart.” Wow, that is powerful. The heart is the wellspring of our affective lives — our feelings. Our hearts will deceive us. Because the heart, our self, will try to focus our minds on “what I want” and miss important and even obvious aspects of what is best for a relationship.

That is the danger of living and loving by feelings. But, a mind fixed on serving Christ and others will lead our hearts to pure love, pure joy and ultimate fulfillment. Think about this! What does it mean to surrender our heart to Christ? It is laying down our self and acknowledging that life isn’t all about me and my feelings.

Perhaps we need to rethink some things. Maybe loving God, our spouse and others with our hearts isn’t enough.

Consider this: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30,31, NIV)

Love involves far more than our heart. It includes everything we are. Lead your heart by deciding to love your spouse — and those around you — unconditionally like God loves us. God is watching.

— Dave Kidd serves as associate pastor at Grace Fellowship (“The Caring Place”) in Canton, Ohio.