Guard your heart. It is command that we easily skip over and don’t we? As adults we might easily think to protect children and try to keep them from things that will negatively influence their lives but do we give a passing thought to our own hearts?
GUARD (used in the NLT) is translated as “keep” in the King James version. It actually reads, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life”. I would like to use this version to study today. We can also note: In the original language “guard” could also be translated as “watch” or “keep”.
As I mediated on this verse today, my mind drifted to our landscaping makeover project that has been on going over the last month. Through the process we are diligently KEEPing our new and transplanted plants by surrounding them with landscape fabric so the weeds will not invade their space, crowd them out, and use up their resources. The idea is that we have made the decision and followed the plan to do what is best for the plants so they can have the best chance possible at a healthy life. I think you get the idea.
HEART is broadly used to describe your emotions, your intellect, and your will. In other words it is who you are. It’s your soul. I’ve heard people make the statement, “she is beautiful on the inside”, that’s what they mean. She has a beautiful soul or heart and her thoughts and feelings and decisions are admirable.
WITH ALL DILIGENCE follows the “guarding your heart”. It means to place in confinement like a prisoner and guard them. This is not a mild suggestion of keeping an eye on one thing as you do something else. This is a straight forward command that requires your full attention. Are you catching the intensity?
Finally the verse concludes neatly with the reasoning behind this command. It says, because your soul/heart is the source of your life. Your thoughts, your decisions, your feelings, desires, dreams, ideas, plans, etc. etc. In a nutshell, this verse is telling us to keep watch over our souls as though our life depended on it.
How do we do that? Well that is a fine question.
One suggestion I will make is to protect your sources of input. For example, if you want to be optimally healthy you have focus on things that are the best for you. Hint: It is not chip, candy bars, and ice cream. It’s drinking plenty of water, it’s fueling your body with nutritionally dense food with lots of natural fiber a.k.a. eat more vegetables! If you want to be optimally healthy spiritually, watch what you put in your mind. Don’t fill up on gossip. Don’t read books that lead you to a path contrary to God. Don’t fill your heart with fantasy. Don’t hang out with people who only know how to gripe and complain about their life circumstances. Instead, fill up on things that are good for you. Scripture is excellent. Fellowship is wonderful. Worship – fabulous. Remember Philippians 4:8.
Finally, raise your level of awareness about your heart. Do regular check-ups. (Psalm 139:23) Keep the weeds out intentionally by adding screening that will keep it protected. Keep it watered and fed. This will likely take some time and practice but as Solomon has written — above all it’s important! Because you are worthwhile.
