Guard your heart

One quarter size hole in the ground and a gust of cool air led three (some accounts say five) explorers to dig into a trespassed field in Virginia to discover what we know today as “one of the century’s greatest finds” or Luray Caverns.

For four hours they dug a hole into the earth big enough for their smallest party members to just fit through. With only a candle in hand, they dropped the smallest men through the hole to discover a deep cave- 1.5 miles wide- just under their feet.

Right before their eyes, they saw 50 foot stalagmites, clear, mineral rich waters, gorgeous cliffs, that have now enraptured millions of people around the world for over 150 years.

The cave discoverers kept the find quiet until they could buy the land from the foreclosed property of the original owner. Then when the value of the property came to light, people fought-tooth-and-nail over the property to finally take it to the VA Supreme Court to annull the purchase and sell it to richer investors.

The original owner of the property was sitting on a gold-mine, but he never took the time to discover what was burried right beneath his very nose. He let debt and foreclosure make him lose his inheritance. Greed took over and others benefited from his loss.

Don’t let others take your joy, your destiny, or your life with their pursuit to use and abuse the great treasure that you are. You are the caretaker of the most unique treasure this world has ever seen. Your life is a unending cavern of ideas, hopes, dreams and passions.

The world needs your book, your music, your art, your words and your love.

Don’t lose the rights to your heart because of compromise, pressures or broken promises from this world.

Proverbs 4 talks about

“My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4:20-27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Guard your heart in the ancient world was not like we consider now. They considered the heart as the central command center of your entire being-The union station of your thoughts, your feelings and your emotions.

Therefore to “guard one’s heart” was to guard what influences came into your life and thoughts- therefore affecting your entire life and your destination.

Don’t let compromise steal the treasure of your heart. Cut off the Internet, go back to a flip phone to keep your eyes from stumbling, shut off cable, don’t go out after 10 PM if need be. Do what’s necessary to ruthlessly guard the treasure that is inside of you.

Setting the right course

Setting the Right Course

Recently Pat and I decided to go on a road trip to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We chose Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,as our final destination; so off we went with a good audiobook and a whole week away from work to enjoy the journey. Once we got on our way, we realized our phone GPS offered us several options on how to get to Myrtle Beach. We quickly discovered that setting the destination was a good start but choosing the course as to how we were going to get there was a completely different challenge. Sometimes the faster way is not the most direct way.

Sometimes the backroads offer lots of red lights and crowded city streets. And if you are not careful, speeding traps will catch you unaware with a surprise speed limit shift along the way. I was very proud of Pat, who was humble and contrite when the police officer pulled him over. And it helped too, because the police officer was kind enough to lower the fine. 

When we make Jesus the Lord of our life, He promises to help us enjoy life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). We have an opportunity to live our life with purpose and to accomplish some amazing things in our lifetime. With the help of His Holy Spirit (our spiritual GPS) and His Word (our road map), we can set the right course for our life. Look at the insight Psalms 119:1-8 provides each of us:

You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do.—Psalms 119:1-8 MSG

Too many people come to the end of their lives with misgivings. The end of the road, so to speak, came much quicker than they anticipated and the realization hit them that they neglected to look ahead and identify where they hoped to go, let alone design a map to get there. Regret sets in and disappointment because there is this nagging feeling that they either stopped in their journey too soon, or never reached the destination God revealed to them because a detour took them completely off track.

When we deliberately ask God to lead the way, and spend quality time seeking His plan and purpose for our life, He will not only reveal the right course for our life, but He will also help us keep on track by showing us which path to take. He will give us the grace to not give up and the peaceful assurance He will not let us down. Proverbs 3:5-8 says it best:

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all.—Proverbs 3:5-6 MSG

Cindy Trimm in her book “Hello, Tomorrow!” writes “Life is like a ship on an ocean of opportunities. You don’t have to be swept away by the currents of change if you know how to use your vision and engage your values to set your course toward tomorrow. You can then guide your vessel, allowing the winds of your passion to fill your sails of faith, moving you ever closer to the shore of your destiny. When you are confident in the type of prophetic ship you are based on your own inherent strengths, you can pull up the anchor of fear and leave the docks of doubt behind. You can then locate your north star, establish your desired direction, and head toward the shores of your longed-for destiny.”

So just before you go to bed tonight, ask God to guide you through the decisions and circumstances of your life (see James 1:5). Then observe the answers and ideas that begin filling your mind and heart in the coming days ahead as you allow Him to set the course of your life. 

Wait for your turn to come

It’s a beautiful day in July and I decide to ride my bike to the grocery store and save on gas.

I’m at a pretty major intersection in our local town, and I see another woman on a bicycle across the street from me- waiting for her crosswalk to blink on.

She goes first, nods to me and takes her own path. I still wait for my crosswalk sign to turn on.

How foolish would it be for me to cross the street at the same time she was, just because she was doing it. My time has not yet come. If I would’ve gone too early to match what she was doing, I would’ve gotten hurt, hit by a car or possibly fatally injured.

This is how foolish we look in life when we try to skip ahead of our time.

We see people across from us that might look like us, and be the same age as us- We see them crossing before us- getting married, having careers, getting pregnant.... But if we decide to go at the same time they’re going, we might hurt ourselves or others around us.

It’s all about timing. It’s all about waiting for your signal- not someone else’s.

It’s about walking your path in your destiny- and not comparing your path to another person’s.

Stop worrying about what other people are doing across from you- you might miss the signal for your turn to cross!

Proverbs 3:5,6 says

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

Just like the traffic lights are controlled by a central headquarters in the city to make sure all intersections are correctly timed- God sees the bigger picture of our life. He knows exactly the right time for us to move on or wait until it’s safe.

Sometimes it might feel as if we are at an intersection for a lifetime- waiting for our turn can be so agonizing.

But we need to trust the story and know that God has everything under control. We will be amazed from what He can make in the waiting process.