Guard your heart...

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

That's the only thing I could think of when I was told about an issue with a young lady that I am acquainted with. Matters of the heart are always tricky, especially for young Christian women. We are told to wait on our husbands, adhere to courtship, remain pure in body and in mind. And above all else guard your heart. That guard your heart thing tends to be the hardest thing to do for some. It was hard for this young lady and now she has yet another piece of her heart scarred by a young man who somehow missed the message on guarding the heart of a woman.

It bewilders me that I sit through the same Fusion services on Wednesday nights as many others yet, everyone doesn't seem to live by the same teachings I get from the messages. I am being reminded that everyone doesn't get the same convictions that I do. Everyone doesn't have that same desire to live a life that would make Jesus smile. Everyone doesn't have the same desire to stop doing life the way we used to that obviously hasn't worked for us in the past. Some people still want to figure out life the hard way, all the while collecting more scars and battle wounds before retreating back to Christ in defeat. Luckily, our Savior has a heart that knows no bounds but I am sure it pains Him to see so many people being hearers of His word, but not doers of His word.

I tend to not think naively about most things but I guess in this instance I was. I was naive to think that just because Fusion women hear that they should guard their own hearts against deceit and wicked ways, that they would actually do it. I was naive to think that because Fusion men are challenged to be protectors of the hearts of the women they are persuing that they actually protect those fragile hearts. It breaks my heart to know that two people that I know decided to do things their own way, leaving one with the pain of a broken and scorned heart, unanswered questions, and an even larger longing for comfort in someone other that Jesus.

It can get pretty daunting for single people to see new relationships spring to life, engagements be announced and wedding invitations be sent out on a regular basis in one community of young believers. I guess I am bold enough to admit that I am okay right where God has me, single. Does it get lonely sometimes? Absolutely, but it will never get so bad that I step outside of the plan that God has for me and other single women like me. Even with the guy that I have noticed, we are moving at a snail's pace and I have learned to be okay with that, because that's what it takes to guard my heart. That's what it takes for him to guard his heart as well as mine. There is no rush, there is no commitment, so there is no worry. And with this patience and God's own perfect timing, He is allowing little bits of insight into the heart and mind of this guy that I might not have discovered had I been hasty and disobedient. It is in this patience that I rely on my accountability to help keep me focused and prayerful about all things.

This isn't my natural course for doing things, but I think God is pleased with my efforts. I just wish more women were more diligent about safe guarding their precious hearts and not fixating on whether or not a guy likes her and going outside of God's will to capture some fleeting attention. I have been that girl too many times, have had my heart broken too many times, have been jealous, scorned, bitter and upset too many times to keep going down that same road. Maybe some people haven't been hurt enough to finally surrender and allow God to show them the way. I am thankful for my changed heart and changed ways. Hindsight is 20/20 but there is no reason to keep traveling down the path that has been traveled by so many before.