Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
This was the verse the kids focused on during C3 Camp this summer. And it’s so, so true. It ranks right up there with Matthew 15:18 “But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.” Or Luke 6:45 “…For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of”.
So in other words, that snarky tone I used with my husband when he left me with no gas in the car? Came from the heart. The biting sarcasm I snarled at my daughter when she tried to convince me why it was perfectly acceptable to roll her eyes at me in disgust? Yep… the heart. And what about the night I barked hurtful, stinging threats down the hallway to my son who had gotten out of bed for the millionth time while I was trying to sleep? Um, what’s that? My heart again?!?! You betcha.
I can justify my actions by looking at the cause. Inconsiderate. Disrespectful. Disobedient. And those things hurt. But Christians who are mature in Christ can be hurt and still not sin in their response to such things. Unfortunately, I’m not there yet. That doesn’t mean I’m giving up. It does mean that I will see my words for what they are. A reflection of my heart. And work harder to keep it guarded.
