Following Your Heart

With my post today, I hope that I can give you a new perspective on following your heart.

Before I start, this is an important thing to remind you of: remember that following your heart will only work when you strive to have a heart like Jesus. Your heart has to be in the right place or it will do no good to follow your heart. 

I believe that what we feel in our heart is the right decision. I don't think our hearts are ever wrong when our hearts are sat on the right things. We as humans feel things on different levels, we think, we have gut feelings, and we have what we feel in our heart.

How we think usually comes first, then our gut feeling, then our heart. We usually don't pay attention to what our hearts say at first because we think about things...a lot. I wonder why that is? Maybe, as humans we sometimes fear following our hearts because our hearts are right and sometimes what is right is going to hurt either you or someone else. Or our hearts are wrong and they're not set on what is right and you don't trust it.

When it comes down to it, I believe that there are times when we don't follow our hearts enough. It's a little easier to follow our hearts when dealing with something of significant importance. The little things is where it's difficult. I am here to tell you that all things are important and all decisions are important whether big or small. Significant or insignificant. Important or not. Any decision that we make is a direct representation of who we are and you know what? We are not perfect, we screw up all the time and make the right decision most of the time.

My question to you is this: Are you following your heart at all times with your heart set on what is right? That being a heart like Jesus? 

I am back in Matthew and read chapter 2 this morning. Matthew chapter 2 is about the wise men visiting Jesus.

The chapter begins with wise men asking this question: "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?"  They began talking about how they saw his star when it rose and how they have come to worship him. King Herod wanted the wise man to go find baby Jesus and report to him that they have found him. Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. The only way that the wise men were going to be able to find baby Jesus was by following the star.

 Now think about this: the only way (most of the time) we know we are making the right decision is when we follow our hearts. The only way that the wise man were going to find baby Jesus was by following the star.

So this wise man listened to the king and begin to search for baby Jesus. As soon as they began their journey, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When the wise man had seen the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. The went into the house, saw the child with Mary and they fell and worshipped him. Then opened treasures and offered him gifts.

Before the wise man began their journey they new the they only way they were going to be able to find baby Jesus was by following the star. When they had found baby Jesus they fell and worshipped because they had found what they were looking for.

I believe we need to do a better job at following our hearts at all times. When we follow our hearts we know when we make the right decisions. It's a feeling I can't put into words, but we know. If we follow our heart we will find what we are looking for.

Mind you, your heart has to be in the right place. If your heart is not in the right place, then you most likely won't find what you are looking for.

Remember this is important: Jeremiah 17:9 says:

The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it? 

To be completely honest, I totally had forgotten about this until a great friend of mine reminded me of this verse. Then I was thinking, crap...I have to redo this whole thing, but in actuality I don't have too.

God gives us the desires of our hearts and there is context there that says we need to be in the word trusting him. The only time our hearts will ever steer us in the right direction is if we have the heart of Jesus.

My buddy went on to say this: "A healthy theology of this would tell us that our hearts suck and that our identity in that won't get us very far. It's only because of the transformation our hearts have when the Holy Spirit works in us that we can do anything worthy of the gospel."

My encouragement to you is to follow your heart at all times when you are trying to have a heart like Jesus. The wise men followed the star and found what they were looking for. You are probably thinking, a start and a heart are completely different. Where did the wise men get that desire and know that they had to follow the star? Their hearts.