Having Faith Is a Tasteful Thing to Do

You had driven past the same restaurant countless times but never seriously thought about stopping to see what it was like. Maybe the exterior wasn’t very inviting, or the name didn’t catch your attention. Then a friend recommended it, so you decided, “Let’s give it a try.” To your surprise, the food tasted great, the service at the restaurant was excellent, and you wondered, “Why didn’t we try this place years ago?”

 

Or you’ve always avoided eating a certain kind of food. Not because you didn’t like it – because you had never even tried it. It just didn’t seem like something that would appeal to your palate. Then someone you were dining with ordered that food and insisted you try it. “Just a taste. You don’t know what you’re missing.” With a shrug you agreed, and instantly your tastebuds started doing a happy dance. After resisting even to try it, you were scratching your head thinking, “I should have tried this long ago!”

 

This was the case for us some years back. We’d driven by a certain pizza place many times but had never made the right turn to sample their menu. We already had a go-to pizza restaurant, so why bother going somewhere else? One day we couldn’t agree on where to eat, so we opted to go there. A friend had often said the food was really good. To our surprise, their salads were excellent and the pies were better than any we’d had anywhere else in town. It quickly became our favorite.

 

Maybe you’ve seen an infant initially balk at opening her mouth and trying a spoonful of new food, but mommy finally successfully gets some in despite tightened lips. Baby’s eyes suddenly get wide with excitement and she’s opening her mouth, eager for another bite.

 

In each case, initial reluctance was overcome by just a taste, a little sampling. That’s all it takes. I’ve experienced this spiritually as well. I’d gone to church for most of my life but had kept my “relationship” with God at an arm’s length at best. Most of the time I just ignored Him altogether, except for moments of crisis when I’d send a few “flare prayers” heavenward. Once the “emergency” had passed, however, I would resume living my life as usual, with no thought of God. 

 

I’d even read the Bible front to back during my senior year of high school purely out of curiosity, but my spiritual life was like glancing as goodies through a bakery window but never going inside to buy anything. Then I started attending a church where the pastor taught the Bible in a way I’d never heard before. For the first time, I took a real “taste.” 

 

The Bible talks about this. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.” And in 1 Peter 2:3 the apostle writes, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

 

Unfortunately, many people never allow themselves even the first taste. Like the little kid who turns up his nose at carrots or peas or even mashed potatoes, folks have already decided for whatever reason that giving faith in God a try isn’t something they’re going to do.

 

However, my own experience and that of countless people I’ve gotten to know over the years serve as proof such a choice is a foolish one. It’s not always easy, sometimes downright difficult. But a life of walking with Jesus Christ is infinitely better than insisting on living life without Him.

 

What does it mean to “taste that the Lord is good”? For me it means to read some of the promises in the Scriptures, truths God has revealed about Himself, and act upon them in faith. One of them for me early on was Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Never once has He failed to guide me, often far beyond my greatest hopes and expectations.

 

Countless books have been written and sermons beyond number given to explain what happens when people seriously “taste” what the Lord has to offer. Galatians 5:22-23 gives a brief list summarizing just some of the many benefits of having God in our lives: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control….” Who wouldn’t want those in their life?

 

Then there are grace and mercy, freely given even though we all are so undeserving. If we’re honest with ourselves and recognize how our sinfulness is so distasteful to a holy, righteous God, the assurance of receiving complete and utter forgiveness from Him is almost unbelievable. John Newton, a slave trader among other things before his encounter with Jesus Christ, captured this in his well-known hymn, “Amazing Grace.”

 

I’ve read hundreds of books over my lifetime, but none compares with the Bible. Its scope, depth, wisdom and truth surpass anything the mind of man has ever conceived. Just to sample it, giving it an honest taste, is enough to want to make it a part of your daily “diet.” As the psalmist wrote in the longest of the Psalms, “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Psalm 119:103).

The idea of “tasting” God is more than a metaphor. Jesus Christ referred to it as a reality, an invitation to dine with Him in ways no kitchen or restaurant could boast. Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst” (John 6:35). He also said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). If you haven’t tried Him, don’t wait another day.

Determining to ‘Choose Your Hard’ With Wisdom

Have you noticed that life isn’t easy? When we’re children, our parents ask us to do tough stuff like, “Eat your peas,” “Pick up your toys,” and “Don’t jump in the mud puddle.” Who knew being a kid could be so demanding?

 

We transition to adolescence and our teen years, and things are still hard. We’re required to do homework, clean up our rooms, get our first job, learn how to drive, and be home by curfew. None of those is easy.

 

Even as we get older and more mature, life doesn’t ease up. Getting a college education or technical training to begin a career; seeking full-time employment and then doing the work; finding a place to live, paying bills, and trying to live as a responsible adult. None of which is the proverbial walk in the park.

 

Listening to the radio while driving to another state, I heard a different perspective on the hard things in life. A poem attributed to Devon Brough made the following observations:

“Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard.

Obesity is hard. Being fit is hard. Choose your hard.

Being in debt is hard. Being financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard.

Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard.

Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But we can choose our hard. Pick wisely.”

 

At the very least, this prompts us to stop and think, doesn’t it? Take the first point: When we choose to get married, that’s the easy part. Choosing to stay married, when the ‘richer or poorer,’ ‘sickness and health’ parts start kicking in, is a very different matter. Just within the past week I’ve talked with two friends whose adult daughters are choosing to get divorces. They’ve discovered marriage is hard. Divorce, they’ll soon learn, is hard too. Moving forward they will have to ‘choose their hard.’

 

The hardness of being in debt is something I can relate to easily. Struggling in debt was very hard – the easy part is never forgetting how hard it was. It took a lot of time, discipline, sacrifice and the grace of God to get out of debt. Choosing that ‘hard’ was well worth it.

Researching on the poem above, I saw that some pushed back against its message, noting sometimes the hard things in life are thrust upon us through no fault of our own. While that’s true, we still have the option of choosing how to respond to adverse circumstances, whatever they are.

 

I just finished reading Though He Fall, a biography by Scott Mitchell. In it he recounts an evening outing with some college friends when he slipped and fell off a cliff, dropping of more than 70 feet. He suffered severe injuries to his spine and legs, leaving him a paraplegic. While he didn’t use the phrase ‘choose your hard,’ Mitchell had to do just that. 

 

He could have chosen to wallow in self-pity and resign to defeat because of his disability. Instead, he endured the agonies of rehabilitation, physical therapy and numerous setbacks, determining to maintain a positive attitude anchored in his faith in Jesus Christ. Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Mitchell learned to drive a car using hand controls, graduated from college with a ministerial degree, got married, had a fruitful itinerant preaching ministry, and even pastored two churches for nearly 20 years.

 

The Scriptures are replete with teachings that support the “choose your hard” approach to life, including the all-important decision of whether to follow Christ. After leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, Joshua acknowledged they had an important choice to make, being surrounded by peoples worshiping pagan gods. He declared, “…if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

 

We each face a similar choice today. The world around us presents a variety of ‘gods’ and idols we can worship, including materialism, prestige, popularity, self-gratification, and various ideologies. But no matter which we choose to follow, we’ll find the way is hard, frustrating, and offers rewards that are temporary at best.

 

The alternative is to commit our lives to following the Lord, even though that path is hard as well. It’s our faith that enables us to face, accept and even revel in adversity. We can trust in promises like the one God gave the Israelites during their exile in Babylon: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

 

We also have assurances like Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” And Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”

 

God never promised that following and serving Him in this life would be easy. There are no promises of rose gardens in the Bible. In fact, Psalm 34:19 tells us, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

The ultimate ‘choose your hard’ is whether to live with the Lord and live for Him – or to live without Him. As Joshua said, we must choose for ourselves this day whom we will serve. Choose wisely. 

Resolutions, Goals, and Plans of Mice and Men

How can it be that another calendar year is nearly over? Valentine’s Day was just yesterday, wasn’t it?

 

This image from a Jacquie Lawson 
E-card captures old sentiments.

People exhibit a variety of reactions concerning the end of one year and the start of another. For some, it’s ‘Good riddance!’ The old year can’t end soon enough. For others, it’s a fond farewell, cherishing the achievements and memories created along the way. What the words of the traditional year-ender, “Auld Lang Syne,” mean depends on what kind of year you’ve had: “Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?”

Nevertheless, 2025 will be upon us before we know it. The brilliant shining ball at Times Square will have dropped, and ready or not, we’ll venture in the new year filled with hopes, expectations, and perhaps some uncertainty.

 

One way of trying to limit that uncertainty is to prepare for the coming year. Some of us formulate resolutions, others set specific and measurable goals, while others engage in detailed planning. As I’ve noted in the past, I’m not an advocate of resolutions because they’re so easily broken and then forgotten. 

 

According to some studies, the average lifespan of most resolutions is about two weeks. Quitting smoking, losing weight, limiting screen time, and exercising more all sound like great ideas. Until the time comes for implementing those resolutions. Most of us, once we fail, promptly quit. ‘I knew I couldn’t do it. Why bother?’

 

I prefer setting goals, since they allow for failure along the way. If I resolve to read through the Bible over the course of the year and miss a day or two, I can always catch up later. If I determine to save a certain amount of money each month but unanticipated expenses come up, there’s always next month.

 

The reality of it is, no matter how committed we are to our resolutions and/or goals, there’s always the unexpected. At times, very unexpected. In his classic poem, “To a Mouse,” Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote (in modern English), “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” To put it another way, life happens when we’re making other plans.

 

So, what’s the point of goal-setting and planning? Should we just ‘let life happen,’ adopting a fatalistic view of life? I don’t think so. Instead, it’s wise to recognize that while life can and does take surprising twists and turns, we can trust in our God who’s never caught by surprise or unprepared.

 

The Scriptures offer great wisdom about the planning process and the importance of letting the Lord be part of that process. The book of Proverbs alone gives numerous insights. My personal favorite is Proverbs 3:5-6, which I consider my life’s verse: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” I’ve lost count of the times I had my ideas, God had His ideas, and His proved to be much better than mine.

 

Another verse urges us, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3). That doesn’t mean God is obligated to bless everything we decide to do. What it does mean is if we determine to make our plans in light of our devotion to the Lord, He will guide us in the planning process.

 

A brief passage from another Old Testament book affirms this. Psalm 37:4-6 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.” When our delight in God and commitment to Him are paramount, He will ensure that our desires align with His own.

 

We could cite many other Bible passages, but three more from Proverbs are particularly helpful for those of us who are planners. Both point to God’s sovereignty – that ultimately He works everything according to His will and purposes.

 

Proverbs 16:9 tells us, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Then we read, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). And third, “A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24).

 

We can regard these assurances from a negative perspective, as if to say, “Who does God think He is to decide what I’m going to do?” However, trusting in God’s omniscience – being all-knowing – can give us much peace and confidence that even if our plans are faulty or misdirected, the Lord is fully able to counter our foolish limitations and redirect our plans in ways we couldn’t have dreamed or expected.

 

As we read in Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!”

 

If we can keep these promises in mind as we make our resolutions, set our goals or develop our plans, we’ll find things going much better than we could have hoped. Happy planning – and Happy New Year!

Cherishing A Treasure Unlike Any Other

As I picked up my Bible to start my daily reading, I reflected on how this practice isn’t some religious ritual, but rather my means for building upon the relationship God began with me decades ago. And I choose the words, God began with me, very intentionally. There’s no question in my mind that the Lord was the one who pursued me – what poet Francis Thompson called “the Hound of Heaven” – when I had little interest in pursuing Him.

I don’t treasure my Bible because of its pages and print, ink and paper, but because through this book I encounter the God of all eternity and creation – His love, His wisdom, His grace, His guidance, and His truth.

 

Unlike days long ago when I casually attended church – it was a ritual of sorts then – finding God in the Scriptures has become my lifeline. At one time I vaguely sensed there had to be a divine deity; now I know this without doubt because of all He’s done in my life; the truths and principles He has taught me through His Word, and the wonderful people I’ve been privileged to meet over the years who count it their honor and privilege to be “Christ’s ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

 

Similar to the blind man who received sight from Jesus (John 9:13-39), I once was blind spiritually but now I see. I can identify with the apostle Paul’s bold declaration in Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believe: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” There’s absolutely nothing like it.

 

As someone whose financial picture was once totally upside-down, in the Bible I’ve found simple yet profound principles for managing money, starting with the truism, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).

 

For a person who used to have little idea about where my life was headed, I’ve often pondered and applied the promise of Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” That assurance and its out-workings haven’t failed me yet.

 

In a world in which a lack of sense – or nonsense – seems so prevalent, the Scriptures clearly tell us where to go for wisdom and how to forgo foolishness: “The proverbs of Solomon…for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and fair…. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline” (Proverbs 1:1-2,7).

 

Years ago, I met a business leader who had spent much of his life reading self-help and motivational books, listening to taped messages on how to become a success, and using other resources for personal growth. Then he discovered the Bible and started reading it. In short order he disposed of all his other “motivators” and relied exclusively upon the Scriptures not only for guidance as a corporate executive but also for every area of his life.

 

Rather than self-help, the Bible affirms how desperately we need God’s help – His empowerment – to live as He intended and according to the way He designed us. In John 15:7 Jesus declared to His disciples, “apart from Me you can do nothing” (of eternal value). Piggybacking on that, the apostle Paul affirmed, “I can do everything through [Christ] who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). Many times, I’ve been faced with a challenge and thought, ‘I can’t do this!’ Through His Word the Lord has reminded me, ‘I know. But I can do it through you!’

 

As you’ve noticed if you’re a regular reader, I like to include a lot of Scripture in my writings. That’s because my opinions alone aren’t worth a dime – which isn’t worth much anyway. But in the Bible, we find God’s opinions, which are priceless – they’re the only ones that matter.

This current calendar year is winding to a close. I would hope – and encourage – that if you’re not already doing so, in the next year you’d determine to make meaningful time in the Word of God a regular part of your day. To my way of thinking, there’s no downside to it. 

Sometimes Hindsight Is the Best Sight

My wife and I have a bird feeder in our front yard and enjoy watching the variety of cardinals, wrens, robins, chickadees, doves and other feathered folks enjoying their free nibbles. I’ve noticed they’re very skittish – with eyes situated on the sides of their heads, when they notice movement in front, to the side or even behind them, they’re quick to flit away until the perceived peril is gone.

We’ve also had owls take up residence in our back yard. While they prefer to stay out of sight, occasionally we get a glimpse of them. Even though their eyes are in front, we’ve observed them turning their heads nearly 360 degrees. (Makes my neck hurt just thinking about it.)

 

In contrast to the biological construction of members of the fowl family, we humans have our eyes located in the front of our faces and are anatomically restricted in how far we can turn our heads. As a result, we tend to be forward-looking – focusing on what’s ahead of us. When driving, that’s why rear-view and side-view mirrors are so helpful. We can remain facing ahead and watching where we’re going, while still keeping tabs on what may be alongside or behind us. 

 

For the most part, that’s as it should be. Dwelling on the past, especially painful times, can be self-destructive and hinder our growth as individuals. There’s something to be said about concentrating on where we’re going in life rather than agonizing over where we’ve been. However, there are times when a right perspective on the past can enhance our present and future.

 

It was American philosopher George Santayana who first declared, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” That’s why it’s troublesome when some advocate revising history or even erasing it. Even with its flaws and tragedies, an accurate knowledge of history can help us avoid repetition of grievous errors and heinous sins.

 

But there’s another reason for having a healthy appreciation of the past. Sometimes life’s present hardships and struggles can only be understood when viewed in reverse. Vernon Grounds, the late American theologian and educator, observed, “Like the Chinese philosopher riding backwards on a donkey, we only understand life looking back.”

 

Many times during my career as a writer and journalist, as well as being a husband, father and grandfather, things didn’t make much sense while I was experiencing them. But through the lens of hindsight, I can see how those times proved beneficial for me and my loved ones. 

 

As oft-quoted Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Sometimes we wonder, “Lord, how can You possibly use this for good?” His response might be, “Just wait and see.”

 

In his devotional book Grace Notes, author Philip Yancey states, “What is faith, after all, but believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse?” When we first come to Christ in saving faith, we might take a leap that defies reason. But as we advance in our faith journey, hindsight – being able to remember what God has done in our lives – enables our faith to grow stronger.

 

Numerous times in the Old Testament the ancient Israelites, an amazingly forgetful lot, were admonished to remember what God had done: freeing them after 400 years of slavery in Egypt; parting the Red Sea so they could escape the pursuing Egyptian army; being provided water, manna and quail to feed and sustain them during their wanderings in the wilderness; receiving God’s laws designed for successful living, and many other things. Whenever they forgot that hindsight can be the best sight, they fell back into their sinful ways.

 

Perhaps this is one reason I’ve come to embrace Proverbs 3:5-6 as my “life verse.” It says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” I’ve lost count of the times when I couldn’t understand the circumstances I was going through. But meditating on this passage has reminded of the importance of knowing that through His power and sovereignty, God can straighten even the most crooked path.

 

I may not have the capacity for spinning my head around like an owl to check out what’s behind me, but when I do pause to look back and ponder how the Lord has worked in my life, it gives me renewed hope and confidence in what the future holds.

When the Chips Are Down, Who Do You Trust?

Do you remember Johnny Carson? He’s best known for having set the standard for late-night talk show hosts over his three decades as star of The Tonight Show. Even to this day, his talent and excellence make contemporary late-night hosts seem like rank amateurs.

 

However, before Carson’s emergence on The Tonight Show, for about five years he emceed a daytime quiz show called “Who Do You Trust?” (Grammatically dogmatic English teachers contended it should have been called, “Whom Do You Trust?”) The quiz show has long since faded into TV archives, but its thematic question remains relevant today: Who do you trust?

 

Sadly, we find ourselves living in an age when it seems there are fewer and fewer people and entities that we truly can trust. 

 

For a vast assortment of reasons, trust levels have decreased – at least in the eyes of some – In one or more of the following professions that once enjoyed almost implicit trust: law enforcement officers; scientists; doctors and nurses; educators; business leaders; the clergy; the media; manufacturers. This barely scratches the surface of all those who have had members that betrayed public trust.

 

It’s become a cliché to claim that no politician is worthy of trust. Some are (at least we'd like to think so), but we’ve become all too accustomed to hearing about those who aren’t. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” we’re told in Romans 3:23, but as moral and ethical standards have declined in our society, that’s become more evident than ever.

 

When all else failed, we’ve usually felt we could trust the family dog. Sadly, there have been occasions when even that proved untrue. The same can be said of spouses – and parents.

 

So, the question remains, who do you trust? Or more accurately, who can you trust?

 

For me, I’ve concluded there’s only one answer. And it’s not myself, because I’ve failed my wife and children – even myself – more times than I can count.

 

Rather, my answer is found in two Old Testament verses that many years ago I adopted as my “life verse,” Proverbs 3:5-6. It says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

 

It’s less than 30 words long, but it captures a wealth of meaning and wisdom that I continue to mine. Of course, my trust in the Lord was not automatic. Just as with any relationship, my trust and confidence in Him has grown over time. It’s one thing to read this passage and given it mental assent. It quite another to actually embrace its assurance and live accordingly.

 

I could write entire books about the many ways God has proved Himself unfailingly trustworthy. Suffice it to say He’s never failed me, and I know He never will. When the Lord says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” – in Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5, and many other places – He means what He says.

 

If you go to a Bible concordance or do an online search, you’ll find dozens of passages that encourage us to trust in the Lord. Given the reality that everyone and everything else in this world will fail us, proving unworthy of our trust at one time or another, He’s the one we can trust without fear of betrayal.

 

Another of my favorite passages, Psalm 37:3-4, declares, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I’ve found this to be true again and again. 

 

God hasn’t always given me everything I wanted, but He’s always provided everything I needed. And over time I’ve discovered that the desires of my heart have changed to become more aligned with what He desires for me – my Father truly does know best.

My hope and prayer for everyone reading this is that if you haven’t already learned this for yourself, you soon will. We live in a world when it would be easy to cynically conclude, “I don’t trust anybody.” But God is the one exception. As Isaiah 26:4 declares, “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.” In that promise we can indeed have rock-solid faith. 

God’s Unique Plan for Every One of Us

Have you ever wondered how you got to where you are now from where you were years ago, even as a child or a young person? The course of life is never what we expect, and often we encounter twists and turns we could never have imagined. If you’ll indulge me briefly, I’d like to use myself as an example.

 

I’ve often thought that if I were to write a book about the path my life has taken, I’d give it the title, “You Can’t Get There from Here.” Growing up in New Jersey, I headed southwest to attend a college in Houston, Texas. At the time I had no plans of pursuing a writing career but was fortunate to have an English instructor who thought differently. She offered encouragement, saying she saw promise in me as a writer and even urged me to enter an essay contest, which I happened to win.

 

That prompted me to change my major to English. However, envisioning having to poetically ponder flowers and trees or study the likes of Shakespeare, Chaucer and Lord Byron, I determined instead to find a school that offered a strong journalism curriculum. That made Columbus, Ohio the next stop on my itinerary.

 

Journalism and I fit together like the proverbial hand in glove; two professors in particular impressed upon me the art of newswriting along with the virtues of objectivity, fairness and balanced reporting. (That was before modern journalists decided such things aren’t necessary.) I took only one class in photojournalism as an undergrad, but as a graduate teaching assistant my assignment was to teach…photojournalism. That year I learned as much about the craft as the students I was teaching to load raw film into canisters, process exposed film, print photos and master various skills in those bygone days before digital cameras.

 

Upon graduating, my intention to get my first job on a metropolitan daily newspaper was cast aside. My only job offer came from a community newspaper in a Columbus suburb. So, instead of being pigeon-holed as a copy editor, police beat reporter or even an obituary writer, my responsibilities as editor were wide-ranging. They included covering city government, local schools and the school board, high school sports and the community theater, writing editorials, columns and features, doing engagement and wedding announcements, obituaries – and lots of photography.

 

Did I mention I met my wife and we started our family together there?

 

That diverse experience opened doors for other opportunities, including a brief stint on a suburban daily newspaper, back to Houston to work as editor of a much larger community newspaper. There I gained experience not only on the editorial side but also the business side of publishing a newspaper, which prepared me for subsequent ministry roles in the business and professional world after we moved to Chattanooga.

 

Most important, God used each stop to advance my spiritual pilgrimage, which ultimately has made all the difference in my becoming – and continuing to become – the person I am today. Early in my walk with Jesus Christ, I came across a passage that seemed to sum up my life’s meandering course: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

 

I could not have planned out the ways God would direct me. In fact, I’m glad I couldn’t because my life certainly wouldn’t have turned out as it has. Another verse I have embraced is Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” 

 

A fulfilling life, I’ve learned, is not a passive one, sitting on a stump waiting for things to happen. We have to take initiative when opportunities present themselves, but ultimately the outcome rests in the Lord’s hands. Many times I thought I knew what needed to happen, and when it didn’t, I felt disappointment, even discouragement. But in retrospect, I came to appreciate the truth of Romans 8:28, “and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Recovery groups often use the so-called “serenity prayer” to encourage participants, but in a real sense, it encapsulates a healthy way to view and understand our lives as they unfold: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” We have our part; God has His, and together we can create a life that brings us joy and gives Him much glory. 

Life’s Inevitable and Unexpected Twists and Turns

Probably no one who's lived for any length of time can say life has turned out exactly as they expected, at least to this point. Even the best-planned life will encounter unforeseen twists and turns along the way. 

 

Sometimes they’re merely brief detours. Like taking a highway exit to get gas or buy some fast food, then quickly getting back on the highway. Other times, however, life’s course goes in completely unexpected directions. Kind of like leaving New York to go to Florida, and suddenly discovering you’re rerouted to Colorado. 

 

Try mentally transporting yourself back in time 10 years, 20 years, even 30 years. Can you remember what you were anticipating about your life? Your dreams? Your plans? Your aspirations? Now consider how those goals, hopes and expectations compare with how your life has unfolded to date.

 

If you could have done so then, would you have chosen the life you have now? Some of us might have, but for probably the majority of us, our lives look very different from what we had envisioned. 

 

In my case, when I enrolled in college, I had no idea my educational and career paths would take me from New Jersey to Texas to Ohio to Pennsylvania, back to Ohio and Texas, and now, to Tennessee. It’s almost as if God were saying, “I know where I want you to be, but you can’t get there from here. You have to go somewhere else first.” Actually, lots of “somewhere elses.”

 

Over the course of one’s life, we experience joys and tragedies, successes and setbacks, delights and discouragements we could not have imagined. In some cases, we wish we could have a do-over, a “mulligan.” Other times we think, “Wow! I never would have thought of that!” The question is, how do we deal with our disappointments and sorrows, as well as surprising opportunities and challenges?

 

For those of us who trust in and follow Jesus Christ, it helps to believe that He is in control, even when life seems spiraling out of it. As the Lord says in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways…. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

 

Whenever we’re tempted to wallow in self-pity or despair, this offers the assurance that bumps in the road, the obstacles we face, are part of God’s plan for taking us to where He ultimately wants us to be.

 

As I started my journalism career, I envisioned a long career in the newspaper business. I did enjoy the opportunity to work on suburban newspapers for 10 years, but the Lord had other plans for me and my career. In fact, over the decade I spent as a newspaper editor, God was also using the path He took me on for working in my life in other ways. Who I am today, not only professionally but also personally and spiritually, is a result of how He guided me and my family from place to place, job to job.

 

This is one reason that more than 40 years ago, I adopted Proverbs 3:5-6 as my “life verse.” It says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.”

 

There have been many times along the way that my paths seemed more crooked than straight, but in retrospect I can see God knew exactly what He was doing, every step along the way. I love the promise He gave to the ancient Israelites – one we can also claim as believers today: 

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile’” (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

 

Perhaps you’re at a point in life when you feel like you’re “in exile.” You might be wondering, “God, what is going on? Are You there? How did I get here? Are You aware of what’s happening?” If so, the Scripture passages above assure us that He is there – and knows quite well, better than we do, what’s going on. 

Sometimes He wants us to move into action, to step through doors He opens. Other times, however, the Lord asks us simply to slow down and trust Him. As He says in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 

Enjoying This Heart-felt Time of Year – in More Ways Than One

Have you noticed the big role the heart plays in so many facets of our culture? We have sayings and idioms like, “You’ve got to have heart.” “Let’s get to the heart of the matter.” “We were stirred by your heartfelt message.” “We need to have a heart-to-heart talk.” “Officials are focusing on the heart of the city.” “The great response was heartening.” "Affairs of the heart."

 

Most of these aren’t referring directly to the incredible human machine that starts pumping life-giving blood throughout our bodies months before we’re born and continues until to the moment we die. But they still underscore a basic truth: We can’t do without our hearts.

 

I still have the heart pillow I received
post-surgery 15 years ago.

Fifteen years ago today, I experienced this in the most profound way possible. I underwent open-heart surgery, not only to repair some arterial blockages but even more important, to have my entire ascending aorta replaced. Without this corrective operation, I not only could have suffered a heart attack, but with an enlarged aorta I was in imminent danger of an aortic dissection. If not properly diagnosed immediately when a rupture like this occurs, it’s usually fatal, as it was in 2003 for comedian John Ritter.

During the six-hour operation, I was put on a heart-lung machine to keep blood coursing through my body while they stopped my heart to perform the replacement and repairs. My new parts consisted in part of homograft material (human tissue) and synthetic material (Dacron).

 

Thankfully, after Dr. Morrison and his team had completed their work, my heart started back up, resuming its continual task of beating 70 times per minute on average, 4,200 times per hour, and about 100,000 times over a 24-hour period. Amazingly, it does this day after day after day, more than 36 million times in a single year. That means over my lifetime, my heart has already pumped more than two billion times!

 

As wonderful as that is, I’m convinced there’s more to the human heart than the distribution of blood to various parts of the body. Somehow, I believe, there’s a spiritual component to the heart, even though scientists might disagree, arguing there’s no such empirical evidence.

 

Over the years following my surgery that I served as a cardiac volunteer at the same hospital, I visited with patients who had undergone similar surgeries to offer encouragement and recommendations for their recovery process. It was common to talk with strong, macho-looking men who would tear up, thinking about what had just happened with their hearts.

 

Reading the Scriptures, we might rightfully conclude that God also views the heart as more than an important organ in human physiology. The passage I embrace as my “life verse” admonishes, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Note we’re exhorted to trust in God not only with our minds, but also with our hearts.

 

Proverbs 28:14 states it another way: “Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.” Like King David, we're to cultivate a heart after God.

 

The heart, according to the Bible, also is the seat of our motivations. Proverbs 17:3 declares, “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart,” and Proverbs 21:2 adds, “All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart.” 

 

Yet another verse from the same book, Proverbs 4:23, offers this warning: “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” We might paraphrase this to say, “Be careful about where we place our deepest affections, because those will impact the entirety of our lives.”

 

We could cite many other biblical examples, but perhaps the most significant of all can be found in Romans 10:9-10, “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

 

As someone has said, genuine saving faith in Jesus Christ is a transaction that involves the heart (or emotions), the mind and the will. All three are necessary when we entrust our lives to Him as Savior and Lord. A decision made solely from the heart may waver when emotions of the moment have waned, so we must also align our minds with what our hearts are telling us. 

 

At that point, by an act of the will, our eternal, life-changing decision can be sealed. Then we can truly, from the heart, fulfill what Jesus Christ instructed when asked to identify the greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Mark 12:30-31).

So, while I’m rejoicing over a repaired heart that has served me unfailingly over the past decade and a half, I’m thankful also to God who promised, “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 11:19). 

Trust: Something Even Toddlers and Puppies Understand

When was the last time you saw a toddler obviously worrying about what mom or dad was going to do? Or a puppy sitting in its bed, stewing over what decisions its owner might make? Probably never, because trust is something that comes naturally to children and little pets – at least until that trust is broken, and even then it usually has to happen multiple times.

So why do we have so much trouble trusting in God, putting our faith into action? We can argue that toddlers and puppies have very simplistic thinking. They don’t know how the trust placed in people can be betrayed, how lofty illusions can be shattered. And having learned that through difficult life experiences, we transfer our acquired skepticism to the Lord.

 

And yet, trusting God regardless of the circumstances is one of the hallmarks of a walk of faith. My life verse (actually two verses) is Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” I can’t tell you how many times I clung to that passage, desperately trusting in the Lord and His direction, especially when the outcome of what I was struggling with at the time was very much in doubt.

 

We live in perilous, unprecedented times. For those of us who had become nestled in our cozy little comfort zones, the uncertainty of the current chaos has been more than unsettling. Those things we did place our trust in – our routines, resources and everyday rhythms – have been turned upside-down, leaving us frustrated at best, fearful and filled with foreboding at worst.

 

But the good news is, what a wonderful time for trusting in the One that is unchanging, always faithful and never failing: the Lord, Jehovah God, Yahweh. The Scriptures repeatedly exhort us to do this, to trust Him when circumstances seem dark, uncertain and discouraging. 

 

A good friend used to tell men he was mentoring when they came to him with tales of woe, “You’re in a great position!” By this he meant that once they had exhausted every option they could think of, when their own efforts to solve their problems had fallen short, they were finally at a point when they had no alternative but to trust God. 

 

Another favorite passage affirms the importance – the utter necessity – of trusting God, even when He doesn’t respond according to our timetable and often in ways different than we had expected or hoped: “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:2-7).

 

Of course, developing such trust isn’t automatic; it’s certainly not easy. Even if we reflect on wonderful things the Lord has done for us in the past, it’s not uncommon to take an attitude of, “Yeah, but what have You done for me lately?”

 

But experience – trusting God in small things, then bigger ones, seeing how incredibly He worked in and through our circumstances, often in ways we could never have envisioned – can serve as a great asset as we seek to trust Him in new and unfamiliar developments and dilemmas.

 

Later in the psalm, the writer King David observes, “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; although he stumbles, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread” (Psalm 37:23-25). What an incredible assertion, particularly when external forces cause us to doubt.

 

What has you anxious today? What keeps you awake at night? You might be thinking, “Don’t get me started!” Yes, from the unrelenting cries of “the sky is falling” we receive daily from the media to the inevitable challenges we face in our families and our homes, we have many worrisome things from which to choose. But this is why we need to rest in the promises we find in the Scriptures, trusting that out of the chaos God will create something beautiful and blessed.

 

As He was concluding His earthly ministry, Jesus gave His followers this assurance: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27). In the Scriptures we find, so many times that it’s impossible to overlook, God’s central promise: “Trust Me.” I don’t know about you, but I need this reminder today.

Drawing Straight Lines With Crooked Sticks

Reviewing the paths that many of our lives have taken, you could probably summarize them by saying, “You can’t get there from here. You have to go somewhere else first.”

 

Looking at my own life, it seems a lot like a traveler whose GPS has gone haywire. Born overseas while my father was serving in the U.S. Army, I spent most of my childhood in New Jersey. My college years took me first to Texas, and then Ohio. My career as a journalist also followed a somewhat erratic path, beginning in Ohio, followed by a brief sojourn in Pennsylvania, back to Ohio, then Texas, and finally, Tennessee.

 

If plotted on a map, this would resemble an extremely crooked stick. And my spiritual pilgrimage has been just as “crooked” as my life’s path. But from the God’s point of view, I believe it looks pretty much like a straight path, proceeding exactly as He planned. 

 

Martin Luther said, “God can draw straight lines with crooked sticks.” Indeed He does. There are myriad examples we could choose from, but among those that come to my mind are two of the world’s greatest mass evangelists, Billy Sunday and Billy Graham. During the 1880s, Sunday compiled a reasonably successful eight-year major league baseball career; for most of that time he wouldn’t have been voted “most likely to become known as a winner of souls for God.” 

 

But then the Lord got a hold of him. Several years after committing his life to Jesus Christ, Sunday left baseball and began a career as a itinerant evangelist, long before the advent of electronic sound systems. His much-celebrated career spanned about four decades, touching countless lives.

 

Graham was considered Sunday’s successor, although well into his young adulthood such an idea never crossed his mind. In fact, the story is told that when Graham was about 12 years old, a group of Christian businessmen gathered at the farm of his father, William Franklin Graham, to pray for God to “raise up a man who would take the Gospel to all the world and turn people in far places to Christ.” 

 

Upon hearing of the men who had assembled, young Graham reportedly said, “I wonder what those fanatics are doing here.” And yet, as a young man he had a life-changing encounter with Jesus and he became one of “those fanatics.” During his lifetime Graham spoke the saving message of Christ to millions around the globe – in person, over the radio and on TV.

 

The Bible, in its unvarnished candor, presents dozens of examples of “crooked sticks” the Lord has used to accomplish grand things. One of them was Jacob (later renamed Israel), who despite being a schemer and a conniver became patriarch for the nation of people named after him. Jonah, a petulant prophet, was called to preach to people in the pagan city of Nineveh. However, he chose instead to flee and found his means of transportation shifting from a ship to a huge fish. In time, the Ninevites did get the message from the reluctant evangelist and a citywide revival resulted.  

 

King David, described as “a man after God’s own heart” in the Scriptures, had more than his share of sinful detours. Yet he has been intimately identified with the Jews through the centuries, and from his pen we have a wonderful collection of writings in the Psalms. His son, Solomon, started his reign as king in a most humble manner, and his wisdom was unparalleled. He contributed much to the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon, but his path became more crooked as time went on and he failed to finish particularly well.

 

In the New Testament we meet a number of other “crooked sticks. There’s Simon, whom Jesus renamed Peter; despite his impulsive nature he became a pillar of the early Church, even writing two of the Bible’s epistles. Matthew, who had betrayed his fellow Jews as a tax collector, also was selected to be one of Christ’s unlikely disciples. What we know most about Matthew’s life after becoming a follower of Jesus is that God chose him to be the author of one of the four gospels. 

 

And we can’t overlook Saul, the zealous Pharisee and persecutor of followers of Jesus, fully convinced that what he was doing was right. After his Damascus road encounter with the Lord, however, Saul was given a new name, Paul, and spent the remainder of his life proclaiming Christ to anyone who would listen, despite many hardships. All amazing stories of how God through the centuries has used some very curious, crooked-path people to accomplish His purposes.

 

Personal experience, along with learning the faith stories of many other people, have taught me the course God has for us is rarely a direct one. Maybe that’s why Proverbs 3:5-6 admonishes us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” 

 

Have you ever found yourself wondering why your life has taken an unexpected detour? Maybe more than a few? They’re often God’s way of saying, “Don’t try to figure it out. The course I’ve put you on will take you exactly where I want you to go.”

 

The key for us, as crooked, broken people trying to find our way through lives of uncertainty, is simply to trust rather than wearing ourselves out trying to comprehend what the Lord is doing or why He’s taking us where He chooses. As we’re promised in another passage from Proverbs, "I will guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble" (Proverbs 4:11-12). He knows the way.

What Doth This New Year Hold Forth?

When this year began, did you make any resolutions – or set some goals, as I prefer to do? Were you able to achieve every one of them? If you did, you’re either an exceptional person, or you have difficulty telling the truth sometimes. Because no one could have anticipated and planned for the turmoil and upheaval 2020 would bring.

 

But why dwell on that now? We’ve got a brand new year ahead of us, barely a blink of an eye away. Aren’t we all ready for a fresh start? It’s time to relegate 2020 to hindsight, right? Can’t wait to see it fading in the rearview mirror!

 

Alas, even though we’ll be changing dates on our calendars, checkbooks and other stuff, when Jan. 1, 2021 dawns, it will be just another day – and the problems of the year past won’t suddenly disappear. Based on what we’ve gone through over the past 365 days, it might be appropriate for the entrance to 2021 to be littered with signs like “Beware!” “Proceed With Caution!” and “Enter At Your Own Risk!”

 So while we’re finalizing our resolutions, goals or plans for the new year, recent experience suggests that we prepare to be nimble, adaptable and flexible. Because things certainly aren’t going to go quite like we expect or hope. They never do. But we don’t have to feel like we’re moving forward blindly, like a ship in a storm without an anchor.

 

For me, the Scriptures provide confidence that the unknown that's lying ahead of us is already charted territory. In the words of the familiar psalm, we’re assured, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for [God is] with me…” (Psalm 23:4). Those brief words carry great depth of meaning.

 

In shepherd terminology, this referred to the unwavering trust the sheep had in their caretaker. What might lurk in the shadows could have disconcerted them, but knowing their shepherd would protect them, the sheep could proceed without hesitation.

 

It’s the same for us. Even when things seem darkest, the Lord is already there to provide us with the light we need. He’s “scoped things out” for us in advance. As Jesus Christ promised, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). If I were trekking at night through a dark forest, I’d feel much better if I had an experienced guide equipped with a bright light to show the way.

 

Another verse reassures us, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). That’s a passage that has often served me like a spiritual security blanket.

 

Then there’s my all-time favorite, Proverbs 3:5-6, which admonishes, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Whenever I have leaned on my own understanding during 2020, it only made things seem more confusing. The virus, politics, and social unrest were a devastating triple play. Whenever I had the sense to shift my thinking and trust in the Lord, however, order always seemed to dispel the chaos.

 

Just before ascending to heaven, Jesus offered this assurance: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). We find a similar promise recounted in Hebrews 13:5, when He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” After which the writer adds, “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’”

 

I’ve been to strange cities a number of times. Unfamiliarity was one thing, but being directionally challenged, those occasions could have been daunting, even fearful experiences. But each time I was in the company with a friend or trusted guide who was very familiar with the city and knew exactly where we needed to go. 

 

In a broader sense, life is much like that. We can fear the future – especially in view of recent experiences. But as we follow the One who already knows what lies ahead, we can let go of our anxieties and uncertainties, trusting that He will ultimately take us safely to our intended destination. So we can say with confidence, “2021, ready or not, here we come!” 

Caution: If You Follow Your Heart, Where Will It Take You?

Watch any romance movie, especially those of the happily-ever-after Hallmark genre, and somewhere along the way one of the central characters is sure to receive this well-worn advice: “Follow your heart.” Sounds great, right? This fits along with the ever-popular, “If it feels good, do it!”

But is this really good advice? Can we always trust our hearts – essentially, our emotions – for guiding us to wise, well-considered decisions? If we’re to believe what the Scriptures say, and I am among those who do, that’s not always a good idea.

Talking about the heart, as it frequently does, the Bible isn’t referring to that amazing pumping muscle that sends blood coursing through our veins non-stop, minute after minute, year after year. It speaks of the emotional dimension of the brain, where fickle feelings govern love, anger, envy, jealousy, and all manner of other emotional responses to our circumstances past, present and future.

I can remember a few times when my “heart” told me to quit my job because I was unhappy with how things were going. Random thoughts popped up: “You’re better than this!” “They don’t appreciate you!” “You don’t have to put up with this!” Fortunately, rather than letting the whims of my heart rule, I chose to follow reason and logic instead, and realized how foolish and unproductive quitting would have been. Because I didn’t “follow my heart,” things worked out far better than I could have anticipated.

Many marriages have ended because one or both spouses decided to follow their heart, causing irreparable damage to their families. And often leaving a trail of regret and remorse. It might have been because their mate didn’t meet their expectations, they somehow “fell out of love,” or found someone else more appealing. Regardless, the result was typically more “heart trouble” than they imagined.

One of the worst times to simply follow your heart is when considering a costly purchase, whether it’s a house, a car, or even a major appliance. Even if “it feels so right,” it’s advisable to give yourself a cooling off period, allowing time for your head to catch up with your heart and bring facts and level-headed thinking into the equation. Sometimes you’ll arrive at the same decision – but sometimes you won’t.

It's useful to consider some of the things God says about the heart and why it’s so unpredictable and unreliable. For instance, sometimes we can fool ourselves and fail to comprehend why we’re so set on doing – or not doing – something. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

The heart – our innermost emotions – serves as the seat for our motivations, the rationale for our thoughts and actions. We can justify what we intend to do, but according to the Scriptures, God is as concerned about why we’re doing something as He is about what we’re actually doing. This is a truth Proverbs states repeatedly:

“All a man’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart” (Proverbs 21:2).

“All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord” (Proverbs 4:23).

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart” (Proverbs 17:3).

In reformed theology, one of the central principles is called “total depravity,” meaning everything we think and do is tainted by sin, just as a single drop of poison would taint a glass filled with our favorite beverage. So it’s wise to be wary of impulsive, emotion-based decisions. “Who can say, ‘I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin’?” (Proverbs 20:9).

Knowing the fallibility of our hearts and our motives, the Scriptures warn us to safeguard our attitudes and thinking, seeking to ward off words and actions we would later regret, sometimes bringing about devastating results. If we don’t fling open the door to temptation, it’s less likely we’ll succumb to the sins that follow. “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

What I’ve learned over the years is before determining to “follow my heart,” it’s best to pause first and pray about it, seeking to determine whether my heart is aligned with God’s will. As my life verses often remind me, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).