What's the state of your heart?

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” -Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

                Since schools have been shut down here in South Carolina since March 16^th, I have been homeschooling our son.  Part of his lesson plan provided by his amazing teacher requires him to read independently for 30 minutes every day.  If you’ve ever spent time around a 7 year old boy, you know that it is almost impossible to get them to sit still and quiet at all, so I enjoy that his teacher REQUIRES it every school day (it’s still touch and go with him at times, but I can usually get him quiet and still for at least 25 of the 30 minutes).  Because of this, I’ve been able to read a few books myself because I sit down with him while he reads.  I’ve read several books including Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt’s book about forgiveness, Nikki Haley’s latest book, Stephen Kellogg’s new book, two fun Rachel Hollis novels and currently, I started a book geared towards law enforcement wives and the application of Proverbs 31 to it.

                One topic that was discussed by the author early on what the state of our heart.  As Proverbs 4:23 says, you gotta guard that thing because it will influence all the other aspects of your life.  The author, Leah Everly, brings up how her husband once pointed out to her that when she gets wrapped up in a Stephen King novel, her attitude and mood change.  She realized that he was right; that a sort of darkness would take over her heart.

To be honest, I’ve had relationships with so-called friends that seemed suspect to me even at the time, but in hindsight I realize that their influence on my heart was almost like a cancer.  Like we would talk about whatever and I would hang up at the end and not only feel worse than I did, but it completely changed my mood.  Even beyond that, what we watch, read, and listen to can affect our hearts.  This goes beyond the author’s example of her Stephen King fandom, but particularly when it comes to negative news coverage.  I’m not saying we should ignore the news, or become naïve enough to believe that bad things don’t happen.  It’s up to how much you personally can handle without letting it take you to the dark side.  I know for me, it doesn’t take much.  I can get super obsessed with news coverage.  It’s happened during hurricane season many times, and it’s happened more recently with the COVID-19 coverage.  I remember last fall in particular watching the Hurricane Dorian coverage and not only going into a near panic attack, but I felt the weight of the world on my heart.  I knew then that I was easily susceptible to the influence of media.  Some people get affected by what they read on social media, even from friends and family.  Comparisons, jealousy, etc.  It’s impossible to avoid all negativity, but we just need to be more aware of it and aware of how it affects us.  Everly suggests to “avoid the things that hurt with no redeeming qualities, and to find a way not to dwell on the bad stuff.”  She stresses that the importance of guarding our hearts and keeping our minds clear will leave the channel of communication clearer for communication with God.  Beyond that I think it’s important to keep your heart light and positive in hopes that we can use that to guide our decisions and treatment of others.  Positivity can spread and it’s the only way to continue to show others the love of God.