Do you find yourself following your heart’s desires or God’s desires?
Are you awakened, brought alive by worldly things or heavenly things?
As John Calvin so famously said, our hearts are idol-making factories, and isn’t that the truth?
Every idol is rooted in self adoration, broadly revealing itself in a mantra running rampant.
The slogan?
FOLLOW YOUR HEART.
Listen to Pastor Nate Pickowitz:
Follow your heart has ended more marriages, mutilated more bodies, destroyed more souls, and ended more lives than the devil could have ever imagined.
And he is right.
Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
If you are happily following your heart today, please hear me: you are in a dangerous place.
Thin ice, my friend. Thin ice.
***
When I was a little girl, I waited eagerly for our pond across the street to ice over in winter. Ice skating was my favorite pastime, and I spent hours practicing.
The weekly lessons at our local rink were fun, and we would step off the ice only to watch the Zamboni clear the scrapings each hour, transforming the rink into a sheet of glass. Of course no one was required to examine the thickness of the ice, because if it melted, so what? There was no danger of drowning.
But our pond at home?
Now that was a different story. Mr. Golden, our landlord, was the consummate safety patrolman. We were not permitted to put so much as a toe on the iced-over pond until he had given his nod of approval, and for good reason. The pond was not only deep, but it flowed to the steep dam, and if we were to fall in, we would be dragged downstream, carried away under the sheet of ice, unable to find the surface. We would likely drown.
There was no playing fast and loose on Mr. Golden’s watch. He required at least three hard freezes, with frigid temperatures in between, before he would even consider testing the ice. Finally, after weeks of waiting, he drilled down to measure its thickness.
Once it met his approval, he stepped gingerly onto the slick surface and slid around in his work boots, jumping around a bit, arms waving to keep his balance. My brother and I giggled. Mr. Golden was a large man–exceedingly tall: 6-foot-four-ish, and big-boned. It was comical to watch him bunny hop and flap his arms.
What’s so funny, you two? He roared, wiry eyebrows all furrowed.
We piped down.
Despite all gruffness, Mr. Golden was tender-hearted and his genuine love for us was displayed through protection. Thin ice equaled danger. We were warned that if we heard so much as a creak, we must get off the ice, and pronto.
Finally, when his safety standards were satisfied, we were free to skate. Figure eights, twirls, jumps, a pair of hockey sticks and a puck, and we were off.
I see it now, so clearly. Mr. Golden protected us like a good father or grandfather would, not allowing us to follow our impatient little hearts onto that ice.
This is the likeness of God, isn’t it? Our heavenly Father who teaches and warns us, admonishing us throughout the Good Book not to follow our hearts, but to follow and obey him.
***
Not so long ago, I was delighted to speak to a group of women at a nearby church. My talk was titled “Don’t Follow Your Heart.”
Soon thereafter, a friend asked if I could share the message on my blog.
While speaking involves writing, it is a unique medium that does not always translate well into a blog post. Therefore, I decided to share my four key points, followed by closing thoughts:
When my affection for God cools, it is because I have opened my heart’s door to the world by following fleshly impulses.
The Bible teaches me that a wise woman will not follow her heart, but will seek to:
Keep her heart,
Establish her heart,
Fill her heart,
and rend her heart.
(After teaching through the above, building and expanding through Scripture and story, I concluded with the following:)
“Before I close, let’s chat practically, as sisters in Christ, women who prayerfully spur each other on to living faithfully unto God, on purpose, and for his glory. We must choose to live according to the Bible, rather than following our hearts into worldliness.
The Scripture is sufficient for every thought, attitude, and action. And may I speak plainly? This is for every single woman here, whether you are 18, 30, 55, 70, or 99. We are each called to walk biblically and circumspectly, honoring God unto death.
I must say, this notion of following your heart is not simply the proclivity of the younger generations; no, I am watching it sweep across our nation amongst people in their fifties, like me, and beyond into old age.
So many women, seasoned in years, fall away from the Living God and make shipwreck of their lives, following their own hearts into old-age selfishness during a time they could be adoring God most and serving others. A life blazing for God’s glory to the very end. What a travesty to follow your heart, at any age.
Paul Washer said, It is absurd to think that a man can believe in Christ, with his heart, and it not have a radical effect on the rest of his life.
How true! The glorious invitation to Follow God rather than our hearts does not have an expiration date. It is the true Christian’s joy until our last breath.
Let us be bold enough to ask ourselves:
Are we bending the knee, and bowing our will to God, following after him? Or are we following our own hearts by inhaling social media as busybodies, or as consumers, feeding nosiness and materialism?
Are we overeating, or undereating, using food or body image as a replacement for satisfaction found only in God?
Are we following the crowd, permitting worldly shows or mindless books to dominate our time?
Are we women who quietly, subtly, undermine our husbands, or do we kindly, graciously, yield to his leadership, as unto the Lord?
Are we mothers who have grown complacent, neglecting the beautiful mission field called motherhood, replacing discipleship opportunities by less important things?
Are we entangled in materialism, stuffing our Target or Amazon carts with things we don’t need, seeking to fill our hearts with material goods, attempting to saturate our envious hearts, rather than being filled with godliness and contentment?
Are we tending hearth and home diligently, serving our families with a peaceful haven in a chaotic world?
Are we grandmothers who follow our hearts- consumed by our own ailments, waiting for children or grandkids to phone us, waiting to be served, wasting hours scrolling our phones- or are we pursuing the heart of God, walking humbly in his ways, eager to serve our families and friends, cheerfully pouring into the next generation with the love and truth of Christ?
So I ask this evening: What might be different in your life and mine if we swapped the notion of following our hearts for a deep, holy pursuit of adoring God and submitting to his Word?
The Palest Ink 