Something happened today. It was only a little thing.
But it hurt my heart just a bit.
Wasn’t directed at me. Didn’t even really involve me.
But I suppose that was the problem. (I’m purposefully staying vague here.)
As I brought my little pang of pain to the Lord this phrase came into my mind out of Proverbs: “Guard your heart for out of it comes everything.” (my paraphrase!)
I know that my response needs to be to “guard my heart”… because the response of my heart will determine my thoughts, and later, my actions.
I need to guard my heart from taking on offense; I need to choose to not dwell there, in that little tiny bit of pain that creeped in.
Mmmm, yes.
I was then reminded of the verse in Phillipians that talks about not being anxious for anything but instead with prayer and thanksgiving bringing my requests to God. For if I do, the peace of Christ will guard my heart.
I’m so glad that this “guarding my heart” business is not all my responsiblity. Yes, I have my part to play… but so does Jesus (the Peace-Bringer).
I guard it. He guards it.
Between the two of us we should pretty much have it covered.
That deosn’t mean it’s always easy.
Most of the time the “my part” can be a little bit hard. (And get in the way of the “his part”.)
But with time and maturity and fear of hte Lord it does get easier.
So tonight I’m guarding my heart in the litle things. Making sure that I don’t take on offense unnessesarily. Making sure that I don’t judge someone else’s actions (or intentions, which I can’t fully know anyway, right??). Making sure that I don’t find my worth in the gestures of people, but instead in the greatest gesture of God.
What is it? That greatest of gestures? It’s gift of his Son, his very self, and the presence of his Spirit.
Tonight, he gets my heart. So glad he knows how to guard it well.
STOP.
Q for you: How do you guard your heart? Have you ever thought about this concept?
Love,
A
Click Clink Five | Five minutes a day, unedited.
Click Clink Five 
April 15th, 2012 at 10:28 pm
Oh, can I relate to this sentiment! A verse that has helped me follows the “Be anxious for nothing…” verse you referred to, and it’s Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true…honorable…right…pure…lovely…of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”
It’s good to know that He can be trusted to comfort my heart and even take vengeance for me if necessary. So I can choose to hand my offense over to Him and let it go. He will handle it. He will protect me. What a relief!
It almost makes enduring hurts worth it since He is so good to comfort us! 🙂
And all I have to do is choose. Again and again, if necessary (and sometimes it is!)
Thanks for the reminder!
April 17th, 2012 at 10:42 pm
oh yeah, such an important follow-up verse, huh? thanks for the reminder. 🙂
April 15th, 2012 at 10:36 pm
My way to guard my heart is living by the motto “Trust No One”. If you never fully trust someone, they can’t break you. If someone betrays me, I just cut them out of my life as though they never existed. Its easy and painless and I never dwell on it.
With things that upset me on a more minor scale, I think just have a little cry or a little sleep and then think “F*** it” and move on. Life is too short to let people upset you.
I used to let people hurt me all the time and since living by this new motto, I have been not only a happier person, but a kinder person who is more appreciative of the great people in my life.
Your comment about Judging other people reminded me of a quote I love… “If you judge people, you have no time to love them” – Mother Teresa.
April 17th, 2012 at 10:47 pm
oh, i feel your pain! to trust is to give room for the potential for people to hurt you. it’s so hard. i can understand why you’d adopt that as your motto. for me, i’ve found that trusting people has allowed me to love them in ways i’d not be able to if i didn’t trust. it’s a tough issue. i appreciate hearing your point of view.
p.s. i love that quote by mother teresa. she was a wise, wise woman.
April 16th, 2012 at 5:42 am
So sorry you were hurt. But it’s so important to remember to guard our hearts. My old pastor did a series on this verse about dating but he applied it to all areas of life as well. I try to guard my heart against these types of offenses but sometimes I fail. Now that I am a mom I find myself trying to guard my children’s hearts as well. It’s a full time business. Thank God for grace which covers it all. And like you said…allowing him to guard our hearts!
April 17th, 2012 at 10:49 pm
so true! we (christians) talk about the concept of “guarding your heart” a lot when it comes to dating, but not as much beyond that into other relationships and life. i too, am learning how to guard my children. big learning curve…
April 22nd, 2012 at 12:18 pm
One of the chapters in my current quiet time book talked about not WWJD but What Would Jesus Think… it talked about choosing to take control of our thoughts, and stop the negative ones right when they start, because our minds should focus on things from God not dwell on earthly things. I am not sure I am explaining the best, but it helped me to remember that when I feel thoughts like “I am not good enough” or “Everything is such a mess” coming on I need to stop and remember that those are not truths and that they have no place in my life as a redeemed child of God 🙂
April 22nd, 2012 at 11:15 pm
that’s SUCH a good way to think of it, and i’ve never put it into those words: would jesus think this?
thank you branson. good stuff.