This is something I have been pondering lately. The thought came from the huge revelation that hit me a few weeks ago.
"I'VE BEEN NEGLECTING MY HEART!!!"
What does this mean? I'm not talking diet and exercise. I am talking tending and caring for my heart, which I believe is a spiritual act that God calls us to do. In defining the word "heart", I'd say it's the very core of me; my thoughts, feelings and core beliefs. Webster's defines "heart" as the heart thought of as the place where emotions are felt. Well said, Noah.
I grew up with the message that others' hearts were more important. My emotions, thoughts and feelings were not cherished or championed or often heard. Somewhere along the line I "caught" the message that my heart did not matter. This was not intentional on anyone's part, it's just the way the chips fell in my life.
To add to that, I grew up in the Church where the message was very much others-focused lest we become self-centered, God forbid. What's hilarious about that wrong belief is that taking care of the very core of our being is something the Bible preaches and teaches so I don't know where that load of BS came from...but it affected me deeply, probably due to my own brokenness.
There is an analogy that I heard early on in my parenting days. When taking a flight, the attendant will tell the passengers to make sure they put the oxygen mask on themselves first before trying to help others. It is true of parenting, right? I think it's true about our hearts as well. I must take care of my own heart first before being able to care for other hearts. I can't give to others what my own heart does not have!
So begins the task of taking care of my heart. I am excited, to be honest, to discover what taking care of my heart looks like. I'd like to ask my readers, what does it look like to tend your heart?
Labels: care, do it, Don't neglect your heart, don't wait, heart, love, nurture, proverbs 4:23, revelation, take care of your heart, tend
