I have a two car garage that only holds one car. Do you know why it only holds one car? It is because I have junk on one side of the garage that keeps me from parking my vehicle in the garage. My wife gets the privilege of parking in the garage. She tells me I can park in the garage when I clean out all the stuff.
Your heart is designed for God. Pascal put it, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man, and only God can fill it.” We cannot fill that vacuum with God if we have it filled with other things. Just like I cannot park my car in the garage if there is junk in the way, we cannot let God fill the hole in our heart if we have filled it with useless stuff.
God looks to the heart. When the prophet Samuel is sent to anoint Israel’s next king he goes to the sons of Jesse in Bethlehem. Seven different sons passed by the prophet until the right one was chosen. Finally, he calls David, the youngest, from the field and he is the one selected by God to lead the people of Israel. In choosing the right person God says to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).
The heart represents our center. It is the place inside of us that drives our emotions and our will. It is the place of our deepest desires, passions, and motivations. We live out of our heart. The heart is a storage place. Whatever we deposit into our hearts become the motivation whereby we live our lives.
When our heart is filled with fear, guilt, and worry then we will live out of those emotions. We will live our lives in a constant state of fear or always worrying about what will happen or feel guilty for past mistakes. God never intended for us to live that way. The vacuum that exists in all of us was intended to be filled with God. We were designed to be filled with the love of God and have that love overflow into love for others.
However, most of us have spent our lives searching for something to fill that hole in our heart. Some people use drugs and alcohol. Others use sex. Some use music or parties. Some people use sports. Others use money and status. One way to consider what you have forced into your heart that belongs is to ask yourself, “What am I constantly thinking about? What am I always worried over or fearful of?” The answer may show you what you have tried to stuff into your God-shape vacuum.
The wisdom of Proverbs encourages us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23). If we are told to guard our hearts than we can assume that our hearts are vulnerable to attack. There are things and people out there that can destroy our hearts. An unguarded heart leaves a person at risk of ruin.
How do we guard our hearts?
The Apostle Paul’s advice to the church in Philippi is a helpful word on guarding our hearts. In the closing of his letter, Paul says, “Finally, my friends keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise” (Phil. 4:8 CEV). We are told to never stop thinking about what is right and true. Always be considerate of others. Always think the best of others. We guard our hearts by paying attention to our motives for why we do things. Before you act on something ask yourself, “Why do I want to do this?” “What is the motive behind my decision?” What is your motive for being friends with this person? Will saying yes to this decision be good for me or bad for me? Will it damage my integrity? Will it ruin my relationships?
There is a preschool toy that has different shapes and the child is supposed to match the block with the appropriate shape on the toy. The goal is to get the star block into the hole shaped like a star, the rectangular block into the hole shaped like a rectangular, and the circle block into the hole shaped like a circle. God created our heart with a God-shaped hole. God is the only being that can fill that hole. If we leave our heart unguarded then things unintended will find their way into the vacuum. Those things or people leave us feeling disappointed, hurt, fearful, or broken.
Guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. How? Keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. Guard your heart by keeping your motives pure.
