Genesis 48-49; Matthew 15:29-39, 16:1-12; Psalms 20:1-9; Proverbs 4:20-27

“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 you ways.” (Proverbs 4:23-26 NIV)

I love when the Lord drives a point home. When I feel him highlighting something over and over, I’ve realized that my plan needs to be to lean in and pay attention rather than thinking “oh, we’ve covered this!” or “I’ve got this now.” I feel like the Lord pays us a kindness when he constantly reviews the things we struggle with. It’s a reminder that yes, we will fail, but the true test of faith is whether or not we’ll recognize our shortcomings and try again.

“Everything you do flows from [your heart]” – yesterday we discussed what comes out of our mouth and the state of our heart and today we get a second reminder of this, but instead with some special instruction: guard your heart. We’ve talked about being aware of the state of our heart by what we say, and today we will focus on the state of our heart based on what we experience. “Guard your heart…let your eyes look straight ahead…give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.”

In order to protect what is coming out of our mouths, we need to assess what is going into our hearts. And yes, there are the Sunday School answers of assessing what kind of company you keep, what types of entertainment you participate in, and other “worldly” things that we warn about letting affect our lives, but I think we should talk about guarding our hearts from the things we don’t necessarily think about: fear, jealousy, hatred, anger, judgement.

I have been dealing with anxiety since I first starting having miscarriages in 2020. This anxiety peaked with postpartum after my son was born, but honestly, through the process of writing these daily blog posts, has calmed down to an all-time low. That doesn’t change what’s been happening in my life–there is a LOT to be anxious about. Decisions about my son and about our day to day life, planning for the future and the possibilities that could occur–I could easily allow myself to go down the spiral of worry, fear, and uncertainty. Since feeding my heart differently though, I feel different. I’m still overcoming the way I speak about a situation, but I’m feeling a lot more at peace, or at least general calm, around the situations that I am waiting through or praying through with the Lord. And there is a sense of true release; we’ve talked so much about control, since that is something I deal with in my own life, and being able to say that I feel bits and pieces of that need to control leave me, is such a blessing.

“Give careful thought”–it’s easy to get caught up in the patterns we’ve already established with fear, anxiety, or judgement. Again, as the Lord highlights these areas to us, can we acknowledge this not as a failure, but as a highlight to help us improve. We need to guard our thoughts in guarding our heart. If we start down a thought path in our minds that we know will deepen our fear, do we let it go and move forward in trust, or do we continue down that path until we are out of control? I’ve had many a night where I’ve let myself travel down the paths that have led to deeper panic, choosing not to veer off and settle in to something peaceful or encouraging. Has it made my life any better or have I figured out solutions faster? Of course not! It’s only been when I’ve chosen something different that I’ve been able to move on and come to terms with the fact that my panic will not change a situation.

“Be steadfast in all your ways”–Steadfast is a beautiful word because it has so much meaning! Be constant in all your ways. Be true in all your ways. Be reliable in all your ways. Be faithful in all your ways. Be dedicated in all your ways. And steadfast does not mean perfect. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but He expects us to lean in to consistency. Consistency is key for making changes in our thought, word, and deed. As we consistently change the attitudes that are feeding us, we’ll consistently experience the peace of a calm heart and sound mind.

Father God, thank you for the gift of your Spirit, constantly showing us where we stumble and where we can rely more and more on you. Thank you for the gift of your peace and calm, and help us to choose it each and every day. Father we ask that when the attitudes of the enemy are upon us, that we would recognize what it means to release them to you and live under your will and control. We thank you for taking our burden and gifting us with light and life- abundant. Thank you Father that you constantly gift us with your plan and presence. Amen.