October 17, 2013
Alexia Isaak
A couple of years ago, I heard Andy Stanley speak on the subject of guarding your heart based on Proverbs 4:23, which says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for
everything you do flows from it." Ever since then, I've thought long and hard about what it means to me and even wrote a post on guarding your heart.
Since that time, I've also done a lot of thinking about being taught never to trust anyone. Many of us have the perception that people are out to get you and aren't looking for your highest good. Although there are certainly some people like that out there, I decided I couldn't live my life feeling like everyone was out to get me. Life just feels miserable that way.
Then, I thought about trusting my intuition and leading with a heart of love to tell me when I should guard my heart, when I should trust and when I shouldn't. For example, I recently was out with a friend who began promising me lots of wonderful things. I thought it was lovely, but decided it would be wise to guard my heart. I decided to wait patiently for those things to materialize rather than fall head first into naively believing right away. It turns out I was right not to trust immediately because nothing ever came of those promises, nd I felt blessed for finally guarding my heart for the first time. I wasn't devastated when things didn't turn out as promised.
I never said to myself, "Oh that person's a liar! Don't believe a word." I decided to think, "I'm hearing nice things, and I'll be patient and see if they become a reality for my life." So, the lesson is that guarding your heart means being steady and holding off from diving in head first into a given situation. Wait for a while for your relationships with people to develop a foundation before being naive and blind. Not trusting means you never give another person a chance at all.
After thinking through the two approaches to promises people make to you and flattery from others, it seems far better to guard your heart because you never know when beauty will materialize in your relationships to create a magnificent experience for everyone. Choosing never to trust anyone simply cuts you off from the world. Please guard your heart each day and help your life to blossom because you can!