Don't Follow Your Heart!

There are times in our lives when we find ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place or feeling uncertain of the direction in which we should go. During these times we may decide to seek the advice of those closest to us in hopes of receiving sound advice. Typically you may hear "Just follow your heart!” This may sound like the best advice to give someone in their time of need, but it is not. Especially if their emotional and not thinking clearly about the decision they're trying to make.

While researching the definition of the heart, there were many different definitions, but only one gave a meaningful interpretation in relation to this post. According to the Oxford dictionary, the heart can be defined as the center of a person's thoughts and emotions, especially love or compassion. Depending upon the situation that one is facing, their thoughts and emotions can fluctuate which causes them to be untrustworthy. Take me for an example, one day I may enjoy being around others, but then the next day I may enjoy being completely alone. Sometimes I enjoy having access to literally everything at my fingertips, but there are times when I wish I could just turn my phone completely off and be disconnected from the world. These are all just feelings that drive my decision making. How do I feel today? Do I feel like being social or do I want to be anti-social? We all have these moods and days where we want to be left alone. I know I am not the only one! I broke this down to show you that our feelings are not reliable.

Right now you may be faced with a decision to relocate in hopes of finding better employment or entering into a new relationship or possibly ending one. You could also be deciding if going back to school at this point in your life is a smart decision because you are a full time employee and parent. Regardless of the situation, our hearts will play tricks on us causing us to make irrational decisions because it feels right at the present time. Sometimes, God will slow down our hearts by placing roadblocks in our paths in order for the mind and spirit to catch up.

In Jeremiah 17:9, it says "The human heart is the more deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" This is true because many times we will make poor decisions when we’re emotionally entangled into our situations. This is why we should not follow our hearts, but we should be led by the Holy Spirit and not our flesh. Run to God when you are faced with a challenging situation and ask for wisdom and guidance because in James 1:5 it says "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking."