Heart of the Matter 

     We often hear people talk about hearts. "He has a big heart." "Her heart is in her children." "They have hearts of gold."

     We all have beating hearts that pump necessary blood through our veins. So, what is this other "heart?" 

     It is a word for our thoughts, our attitudes, our behavior. The brain is certainly involved. But it will go to the grave with the rest of our body. The invisible heart/soul/mind God gives us will live on...in either of two destinations. If everyone believed and understood this, ours would be a far different world.

     Interesting! We begin forming our hearts in childhood. If we develop the attribute of "trust," it is a road we travel through life. We can trust some, not all, people. God wants us - requires us - to trust him. No matter what. 

     Other roads we might travel include honesty, truth, love, humility and sacrifice. Also, there is justice, devotion, joy, repentance, faith, purity and other traits. 

     We assume the Lord welcomes hearts like this.

     Then there are roads others of us have taken: attitudes of deceit, greed, malice, slander, envy, arrogance, pride, anger, hypocrisy and other potholes. 

     We can pretend to have virtues we really don't. We might get away with it, because our fellow humans don't know everything that we know about ourselves. 

     But God knows. He wants to love our hearts, not our brains. 

            Jimmy