by Alyson Thompson

Your heart and your mind, and my heart and my mind, are worth guarding, says the God of heaven and earth.

Following my heart has not always led me on a good path. In days gone by, I pursued problematic relationships, gave in to the addiction of work, and allowed anger to be my response. I struggled to find my way, even as I occasionally caught glimpses of something better. What we desire – what we "must have" or "must do" – can consume our attention, absolutely all of it, until the value we assign ourselves is based on the world's measures: Did I please them? Did I achieve? Was I the best?

You have your own heart story.

Depending on my mind to untangle the meandering of my heart only reenforced a belief that I can be self-reliant, and pride grew in me. I am a fan of logic and reasoning (I love math and all things numbers), so when I applied strictly-ordered thinking to my desirous heart, I simply cut off my emotions. My mantra became, "I can do it, and I don't need anyone's help," then as a Christian, "Surely God will see how worthy I am and bless all my endeavors."

You have your own mind story.

This is life with a constricted heart. This is a "tiny-sizing" of the mind. This is not how we were created to be. This is not the mind and heart intended for us by our abundantly generous God. But what if our hearts and our minds were not our go-to offense and defense? What if we stopped reaching for them like we reach for an iPhone in the middle of the night? What if we allowed our hearts and minds to be guarded by God?

In the verse right before Paul tells us about the peace that passes understanding, he writes, "In everything by prayer and pleading, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Peace of heart and mind comes with release – of our fears, our anger, our grief, our pride, our hopes, our plans, our work, our comfort, our children, and even our life – in prayer to a gracious and loving God. And with a heart and mind at peace, I experience a freedom to look beyond myself, to give to others from a loving heart and a curious mind, to be abundantly generous with the true nature that God created for me.

When I see that I can give generously in humility from my true self, I am released from the burden of keeping everything together, pleasing other people, and sheltering my pride. When I give generously with my healed heart and mind, I am open to sharing God's love with others, in unexpected circumstances, in surprisingly honest conversations, and in real communion.

Thanks be to God for guarding our hearts and minds through prayer, giving us peace that passes our understanding, and releasing us to live generously as we were created to be.

 

Have you ever had a weight lifted by an act of generosity?