Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23
Walls
Recently I spoke about being more apt to allow feeling into my life.
And that got us onto letting the walls fall down.
Those protective walls we needed when we were younger or when we were hurt.
And to build up walls like the one around Jerusalem when Nehemiah completed it.
There were gates in that wall.
So the people could let the good in and keep the bad out.
We need these types of walls with gates that do the same thing.
Let the good in and let the bad out.
Then we will effectively have good boundaries and have guarded our hearts well.
Learning
I have had to learn what boundaries are the hard way because I had to learn them as an adult.
My life was like looking through a kaleidoscope when it came to boundaries.
I learned that our skin is a boundary not to be crossed unless given permission just like I told my children.
I learned many things in the many books I read and in the many counseling sessions I had.
[Tweet “The best advise I ever got was allowing there to be a gate to my heart.”]
One that I controlled.
Again, one that let the good in and shut the bad out, but also let the bad out.
Are you Watchful?
How are you doing with boundaries in your life. Are you watchful in guarding your heart?
While the people were rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem there came a time when the enemy came in to attack them.
The people had to work with one hand and hold a sword in the other. (Nehemiah 4:17)
There will be times when we will have to be watchful as we rebuild the gates to our heart as well.
Tending to our Hearts
Out of the heart the mouth speaks therefore it is so important that our heart be tended to.
Proverbs 4:23 in the New Living Translation says, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”
That speaks a world of wisdom to me that makes me aware that I must be more diligent in protecting my heart from evil and filling it with good.
Filling it with the word of God, song, meditation on the things of God and just “finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”(Philippians 4:8 NIV)
How do you protect your heart and maintain good boundaries? Leave your answer in the comments. I love to hear from you.
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Another Samaritan Woman 