Stand Guard

Serious talks with people you really care about are great. For me, its more than just talking. For me its being able to give and gain. I believe in economics class we called that being mutually beneficial but do not hold me to it considering I made the sixth letter in the alphabet in that class (I know you just counted which one it was because so did I and I will say its the only class in my life to fail). 

After our conversation was over I decided to have some prayer time. To go off and sit by myself (which is rare at a camp where weekly there are 100+ people and most of them are thirteen and under). To let my mind think and clear itself enough to pray effectively and not be distracted by thoughts of "did I order that" or "I forgot to change that trash can" (CRAP). I have found that for me being able to slow down and just sit and think can go two ways...

It can be uplifting..

or..

it can cause me to over think and make myself a tad bit irrational. 

Tonight I am happy to say that I have good news from my alone time.

Just so you know where my "alone" time has to be, I am sitting on the upper stage near the stairs to the class room behind the piano; if you come to camp that makes sense. 

I was sitting there thinking about my week and how blessed I was for the conversations that I have had, the people I have gotten to see that I have not seen in a long time, and for the strategic placing that He has with the people in my life.While thinking I received a text message from one of those daily bible verse things that always text you in the most random times with something off the wall that has nothing to do with where you are right now.

Eh, this one made sense.

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

WOW.

Take a second and re-read that.

One more time go back.

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

The way that I interpret that (and take what I say as not necessarily right because I am far from a bible expert) is that through everything that we go through in life, for everything that happens, for everything that we put into our heart and choose to pour out, we need to stand guard.

We should be careful about what we take to the heart, because everything that pours out of us comes from our heart.

The negativity people tend to throw at you...

The selfishness of the world...

The relationships that we have...

We need to stand guard.

It is clear that we should be careful of who we let in and we should be responsible for watching what catches our heart strings, because our whole life depends on it. What you put in, is what you pour out.

And with that thought I think that the bible is very clear in saying that not every relationship, every connection, every person in our life is worth allowing to connect with our heart. 

YES, its okay to let go of some people.

That there is a difference with being loving toward someone and having our heart misled and lied to. I do not believe that we should just hate everyone because everyone is incapable of being perfect, but I do think that this verse has helped me see that when some people walk out of your life and you have to let them go.

...its completely biblical.

Reason? Because I am supposed to guard my heart so that in response to what goes in, only compassion and love gets poured out.

If I can pour out just love and compassion, then I have to be doing something right. More like Jesus..right?

Because what the world needs now is not money...(money cant buy happiness and a pathway to heaven)

is not hope... (dont just stand around and say there are problems in the world dag-on-it do something about it!)

is not new government...(it all sucks in a way)

is not more education...(smart people are dumb too)

is not peace...(that will never come when there is more than one person on the planet)

but love. If love can first happen I truly believe that the rest will follow.

But it all starts from the heart. So guard it. And let what is beneficial for the kingdom and for your own life be the only thing let in.

I'm out