Day 212 - On Guard

Proverbs 4:23 - "Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts." (MSG)

So, I rarely blog about scriptures, but I think this one is appropriate.  It touches on the entry from yesterday about brick walls and such.  I like this particular translation, because it says to keep vigilant watch over your heart, because the heart is where life comes from.  This makes perfect sense to me - you don't want to walk around with your heart in your hand (or on your sleeve as the saying goes), because the heart is a sensitive thing, and it can very easily be damaged.  That is why so many people are walking around hurt and bleeding, because proper care was not taken.  And even when it was, defenses can be surpassed and emotional trauma can occur in the best of situations. 

The issue is when this vigilant watch goes overboard.  Some translations say to "guard your heart."  When I picture a guarded heart, I think about walls and an armed guard outside the gate.  This is probably not a healthy portrayal, but I think it's accurate given the way some people act and live their (emotional) lives.  And this is where the brick walls and such come into play.  

As with everything in life, I believe balance is key.  There's no need to be all Fort Knox about your heart, but you shouldn't be walking around with it in the palm of your hand as you go down the street.  Keeping vigilant watch sounds appropriate, because it means you are intentional and mindful of what is going on, enough to have some control over what goes on, but at the same time, there is still a freedom for the heart to explore and feel and such.  

And it is more than true that life comes from the heart.  I was talking to one of my friends the other day, and she was telling me about a friend who was having some relationship issues.  Because of this, it was affecting EVERYTHING else in her life.  When your heart is hurting, the rest of you will likely find it very difficult to function in any sort of decent way.  A broken heart can make the rest of life feel that it's not worth living, so it's important to pay attention to what's going on with your emotional space.  Now, sometimes things happen outside of our control, because the heart is an extremely sensitive instrument that can move faster than we intend, but being watchful of both your heart and the things going on around you that could affect your heart will help to keep some things in better shape.  And vigilance can also be helpful when hurt does happen, because you can know right away and address things as opposed to waiting for years and doing much more damage in the process.