I enjoy being in shape and, frankly, I need to be in shape if I am to perform my duties as a volunteer firefighter. But that doesn’t mean that I am actually in shape – at least not where I should be. If I’m being brutally honest, I could stand to drop twenty pounds and increase my endurance. Unfortunately, the problem has been two-fold. First, I enjoy eating without regard for the nutritional content of what I’m eating. Second, exercising seems to always be lower on my priority list than other important things (such as relaxing). To get into shape requires setting aside the things that I like better, and doing the things that actually are better.
I point this out because we’re at the time of year when people are offering all sorts of well-intended advice to students who are graduating and moving on to the next step in their lives, and one of the pieces of advice so frequently given is to follow your heart. It is advice that resonates, because we have heard time and again that if you do something that you like for work, you’ll never work a day in your life. My role as pastor is one that I love, and I can’t imagine doing anything else right now, so I understand. But my heart also tells me to eat ice cream and put my feet up, so maybe there needs to be more to our decision-making process than simply doing what we most want to do. Maybe declaring that “the heart wants what the heart wants” isn’t the wisest approach to determining our path?
When the Lord was speaking to the prophet Jeremiah, He said “the heart is deceitful above all things” (Jer 17:9). Fortunately, the same God who gave us emotions also gave us brains that should be capable of logic and critical thinking. Using our brains, we should be able to see why sometimes the best answer is not what is most desirous to our hearts, but rather something that provides for a better ending position down the road. God’s Word is filled with wisdom that often conflicts with what we would prefer to do, but it frequently produces the best possible outcome. God knew that our hearts would easily lead us astray, so He provided us with some excellent alternatives that simply require us to place our trust in Him. As is stated in Proverbs, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Prov 3:5).
So the decision is to trust in the Lord with all your heart, or trust in yourself with all your heart. The former incorporates all of God’s wisdom into your planning, while the latter allows your emotions to drive the process. Personally, I think the odds for long-term success are greater when God’s wisdom is used as the filter through which our emotions are viewed. After all, if God is the Creator of the universe and of mankind, He ought to have a better understanding of how we are meant to live.
And as for me, it is a summer of better eating habits and exercise. Ask me in two months if I was able to make the wise choices!
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron