Guard Your Heart

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23

For the past few weeks, I have heard this over and over whispered to me from within my spirit, sent to me through scripture, song, and embedded in devotionals. I thought that perhaps the Lord was telling me I was to guard my heart, build a wall around it and protect myself. Which seemed to make perfect sense as I have been feeling fragile, vulnerable, anxious and fearful. 

That would make perfect sense except for the fact that God would never direct me to build a wall around my heart which would not only block things from entering but keep things from flowing from it. I began to pay attention not to what was flowing into my heart but was flowing from it. 

When I am a state of angst, allowing anxiety to rule my thoughts, emotions, actions, and reactions, my circumstances appear dire, my perception is skewed, and I agonize over potential dreadful outcomes. What flows from my heart during these bouts with anxiety and depression stem from a root of fear, emotional fatigue, shame, and guilt. I feel agitated,  frustrated, tired, sad, disappointed, helpless and hopeless. These feelings, emotions, and states of mind can be quite deceiving and dark. 

To put it into perspective, it is like building your house on a foundation of mud. I would imagine it probably isn't advisable to build on such an untrustworthy foundation. 

What flows from my heart - when I am feeling faithful, content, and confident in my belief that the Lord has me in the palm of His hand, and that He will see me through any and all circumstances - is the purest type of untainted love. 

I can tell you both from receiving this type of love and giving it away, it is the most powerful currency on the planet. 

I believe what the Lord was telling me was not that He wanted me to build a wall around my heart but to tear it down, let the light in and be the beacon I was created to be, sharing my light with all of you and beyond.

With Love, 

Stacey