Defense Wins Ballgames

I was listening to a sermon today and I heard a verse that struck me. I’ve heard it before since it is quoted often but I had overlooked its meaning and practice until now. It is written by Solomon.

Proverbs 4:23

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (NIV)

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. (NLT)

I had always read the verse and thought, “yeah, yeah take care of my heart.” I’ve been thinking about decisions I have to make in the near future and have made in the past. My heart has a lot of input into those decisions. For good or bad, the things I let my heart long for end up deciding where my life goes. That seems like common sense but I had not thought about the implications of it. The tiny little decisions end up mattering so much over time. They accumulate, their value adds up and then they reflect what I use/waste time on. They also condition my heart to react and decide in a particular manner. Like in exercise, consistency and attention to the small details makes a big difference over time.

I had applied this principle in some sense. To continue the exercise analogy. I’ve been working out, but my form has been off. I’m doing my best to get the form right from now on. I’m defending my heart from the small things. I’m making a commitment to keep out the impure in an effort to reshape my heart. This I hope will in turn will shape my decisions and life into what I want them to be. Honorable, holy, courageous, and epic :).

Defense! In a sense, that is what this strategy is. Often times I think about how to attack life. How to make the most of what I have. How to accomplish great things. I will still be doing all these things. However unless my core is rock solid, the accomplishments I achieve can all crumble far too easily. This is defense. This is me closing my heart to what shouldn’t be in there. Taking care of the centerpiece so that victory is possible.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers, 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.

Summary of my logical steps

Defense: Keep the heart pure

Result:Heart shaped by pure thoughts and motives

Pure heart leads to pure decisions

Pure decisions leads to a life aligned with God’s will

Consistently doing this leads to an accumulated value at the end of my life