Please accept this invitation to step back in time with me to an encounter I experienced nearly a half-century ago.

High school graduation was in the rear view mirror and the door to my college experience flung open.

Although a story for another day I met the young woman, Jackie, who eventually would become my wife. We have spent a lifetime together sharing all this life has to offer.

We began the dating process and moment by blessed moment we came to know each other in the way couples gradually do. Jackie invited me to know her in the context and through the lens of her beliefs.

My catholic upbringing helped me know about God. In many ways I considered Him my friend, despite the fact that my knowing about Him was more head-knowledge than knowing Him experientially and living from the heart.

That all changed in a moment and it has become the major thread in the tapestry of my life. On Columbus Day 1975, I accepted Christ not as a religious thing to do, but as my personal Lord and Savior. As imperfect as I am, I have attempted to make my relationship with Jesus the central focus of my life.

I do not recall whether it was on a school break or over a summer recess, on a visit to Jackie’s suburban Pittsburgh home I was introduced to her neighbor, a lady whom she referred to as Aunt Bea.

Aunt Bea was a Jewish believer who also accepted Christ. She was a mentor to Jackie, especially during some difficult times in her young life.

Bea hosted frequent prayer meetings in her home as she flowed in her gift of intercessory prayer. On occasion we would drop in on Bea to talk and pray.

One such visit stands out from the rest as the three of us gathered in her living room. Bea had a high-back chair which I referred to as the hot seat. When one sat in the hot seat, the prayer efforts seemed to be intensified. Good God, He knew I needed all the help I could get.

While sitting in the hot seat Bea shared with me a verse from Proverbs which has undoubtedly become my life verse.

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NASB)

Another version describes it this way:

“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NLT)

Initially I interpreted it to mean something like this – be careful not to sin, hold on as best as you can, and life will be OK.

Not bad for a novice Christian, but drastically far from the truth as time and experience have shown me.

The life of the heart is central to who we are and as John Eldredge describes in several of his books (Wild at Heart, Waking the Dead) we live in a world at war. Your life and my life are opposed and there is an enemy who is set against us as we attempt to navigate the waters of our respective journeys.

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10 NLT)

How is that going for you?

Unless you adhere to the fact that God is a good Father and that He loves you, you might be tempted to believe He is indifferent to the things which concern you.

He is not!

In short, you and I lose heart.

Often.

We experience wave after tempestuous wave crashing against our rocky shoreline.

There are innumerable things in the course of our day-to-day existence which tend to impact our heart and bury it altogether.

Your car won’t start.
Your boss is on your case about a deadline which you missed.
Your kid is goofing off in school or is hanging out with the wrong crowd.
Your spouse is and has been out of touch with things which are important to you.

Should I continue?

You lose your job.
An expectation of a promise is undelivered.
Your health takes an unexpected detour and you are faced with things you thought only others dealt with until now.
A loved one passes.
Your marriage crashes and burns and you are left with nothing but ashes.

Unless your anchor is completely dropped in the waters of what you know to be true about God, your heart is inclined to take one of those arctic plunges you read about as you gasp for air.

And if the above were not enough consider the problems of the world you are exposed to on a daily basis, whether you like it or not.

The internet has exploded with content and we are on information overload most of the time. Wars in this place. Natural disasters in that place. Shootings, fires, accidents, invasions, and barbaric acts slowly but surely suck the life out of you.

We were NOT meant to live like this. We only have so much capacity and our trash can is typically overflowing.

It is time to revisit the words of Proverbs and guard your heart with every ounce of intention you can muster for it surely determines the course of your life.

During the pandemic information overload had a mind-numbing effect on me. On a daily basis, well meaning family, friends, and acquaintances would send me podcasts or news articles to share important information with me. It was overwhelming and was in addition to what I came across on my own.

I decided to be intentional about and restrict the content I consumed.

Recently, I made the decision to take a hiatus from the apps on my phone which fed me constant information on my favorite sports teams. This was an unplanned, but welcomed decision.

I was led to this it by the One who cares deeply for my heart. Cold turkey. I decided to obey and it has eased the drain on that which I give attention in addition to lessening distractions.

You too have the opportunity to live untethered to those things which take away from the life your heart so desperately needs.

As much as you and I would like to control those things which impact us, some are beyond our control. To that, I offer the counsel of this advice:

“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.” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV)

For those things which drain the life from your heart and you have a choice to be intentional and turn off the information flow in an effort to guard your heart.

Above all, GUARD YOUR HEART.

Hears to helping you discover a place called Hope.