When your heart needs guarding...

I think of the river slipping toward the ocean, all it carries, the life it brings.

And these words come to mind...

Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 4:23

Everything we are, what we do, flows from our hearts.

 
So how to guard it?

Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6

I write these words in my journal. The next day on the way to the airport we stop by a gift shop. I stop to look at a row of bracelets. I catch my breath when I see it...

"It's the only one we have like it," the shop owner says.

I buy it and tell God I will remember to guard my heart.

Then I get home.

My inbox overflows with e-mails. The laundry is undone. There are deadlines to meet, calls to make, to-do lists that feel impossibly long.

I don't guard my heart. I worry. I lay awake at night wondering how it will all get done. I get grouchy. I wear myself out. I eat way too much chocolate.

At the end of the week, I catch a glimpse of my bracelet sitting on the counter.

"Oh," I whisper, "You tried to warn me this week was coming, didn't you, God?"

And I ask for grace. I start again. I realize anew how my heart needs protecting. It's not from the great big things but from the little things that creep into my life and steal my joy, my peace.

I put my bracelet on again. I'm wearing it now as I type these words.

What's valuable is worth protecting.

And our hearts are treasures.

Let's guard them this week.

I think of the river, slipping toward the ocean, all it carries, the life it brings.

Lord, may our hearts flow with joy, carry peace, and bring life too.

I'd love to hear your thoughts...what helps you guard your heart?

p.s. Guarding your heart doesn't mean you won't have emotions like sadness or even anger--our emotions are gifts from God to help us process life. It also doesn't mean you won't have bad days or tough times. Those are just part of living in this fallen world.  

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Good news when you're working hard...

Our last night in Alaska I stay up late and write in my journal. I write words about weariness. I search for peace. And as I flip through my Bible searching for a verse, I land on a fishing story.

Jesus tells Peter to go out deep and put down his nets.

Peter, weary, replies, "We worked hard all night and didn't catch a thing."

And in that moment, I feel like Peter.

I know what it's like to strive, to work long hours, to wonder if my "fishing" will lead to anything.

 
I read more.

Peter adds, "But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again."

And ths time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. Luke 5:7

Suddenly, I realize that "catching fish" is not my responsibility. Intead my role is obedience, faithfulness, letting down the nets when God says to do so. It's not striving in my own strength but relying on the Spirit.

There's something else comforting about this passage...those two phrases "their nets were so full of fish they began to tear" and the boats were "on the verge of sinking." God knows our limits, what we can handle. And while it may seem He takes us right to the edge of them, He won't let it be too much.

And we don't have to do it alone.

After this miraculous catch, Jesus told Peter that from now on he would catch people instead of fish. "And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus." Luke 5:11

It's never really about the "fish" in our lives. It's not about reaching that goal, achieving that dream, accomplishing the most.

Instead it's about Jesus. The One who asks us to let down our nets, who brings us blessings, who challenges us, stretches us, and ultimately asks us to follow Him.

The really good news?

I can stop striving.

You can stop striving.

We can simply listen to the voice of the One who loves us and obey. 

Then He does the rest.

And our hearts can rest.  

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News: Stop by (in)courage for 30 days of giveaways! And join me for a free webcast about God-sized Dreams on August 31st at 11am CST. Click here to reserve your spot!

When you're looking for peace

Hey you, in the middle of the busy, in search of quiet, looking for peace.

You don't have to go anywhere to find it. It's here, right here.

It has a name and a heart that beats with love for you.

"Come to Me," He says, "I'll lift that burden, carry that load, settle your soul."

He knows how to calm storms, quiet hearts, bring peace to our lives.

That place your heart long to go, away from it all?

It's not as far as you think.

It's anywhere He is.

And here's the best part of all...He's always with you.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. John 14:27

 

* This photo is of Fireweed in Alaska. It's said that when the flower blooms all the way to the top then winter begins. Locals also use the flower to make honey!

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