This has started off as a productive morning. I woke up at my usual time, let Tori out, fed her, sat on the couch, opened my Bible, typed the caption of this meditation … and that was it. Nada. But then, as I was searching for an idea, I came across a short, simple quote that got me pondering.
“Follow your heart.” (Oprah Winfrey).
It’s what I call “fortune cookie advice.” It sounds lovely. It feels warm. It’s a little too pithy to be inspiring, but it sounds almost courageous. Almost biblical.
After all, Scripture speaks often about the heart. “Blessed are the pure in heart.” “Love the Lord your God with all your heart.” The heart, in biblical language, is the center of who we are and the source of all that we say and do.
So what could be wrong with following it?
Well… have you ever followed your heart straight into a regrettable decision? Or into a box of donuts or a bag of chips at 10:47 p.m.? Or into saying something that you almost immediately regretted? The heart is many good things, but it isn’t always wise.
The prophet Jeremiah once wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things.” That sounds a tad harsh. But he’s not wrong. The heart is beautiful, yes — but it is also bent.
Contrary to Oprah’s quote, the Bible doesn’t tell us to follow our hearts. It invites us to surrender them. It invites us to make room for God in them. It invites us to let God reshape them.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God.” (Psalm 51:10). That is the Lenten posture — not self-expression, but holy renovation. Not “I will follow my heart,” but “Lord, reshape my heart so that it reflects you.”
But there is good news. When the Holy Spirit is at work in our hearts, it actually becomes safer to follow. Our hearts begin to love what God loves.
So perhaps this week we don’t follow our hearts, but entrust them to the God who made them. Then, like a child learning to ride a bicycle with training wheels, we give them a try every now and then to see how we’re doing. Just a thought for this week of Lent.
Prayer: Jesus, you see my heart more clearly than I do. Where it is anxious, steady it. Where it is proud, soften it. Where it is selfish, make it serving. Where it is angry, fill it with your love. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Not my will, but your will … in all things. Amen.
