Heart.

The heart is a strange thing. A strange, yet beautiful thing. A wonderful mystery, and the core to who we are; to what we are as relational beings.

How does the heart know? How does the heart have such a relentless grip on the entirety of who we are and how we live our lives? Because that's the way it is supposed to be. Because our hearts are our wellspring of life. The central reel that keeps everything spinning in the right way. That is, unless we allow our heart to counteract its pure intentions.

The heart is a pure, wonderfully poised element of who we are. However, there is one thing that can interrupt the heart's performance and purpose. And that is the mind.

How can the mind interfere with such a wonderfully passionate entity we each have? We allow our mind to overpower our heart. To make decisions that aren't ours to make. To deliberate between different things that may not require deliberation. The mind itself is brilliant, enticing, and dangerous.

In order to compensate our longings of the flesh, we must regain control over our very own minds. We must renew our minds. We must discipline and cultivate our minds.

Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

The renewing of our MIND. Renewal. Refreshment. Restoration.

All too often, I find myself following my mind. Following my thoughts, my ideas, my dreams, my goals, my own visions for my life. Is this bad? Not always. But it can be.

Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

The Lord wants to give us the desires of our heart. Not of our mind. Because he knows our minds can manipulate our true desires. He knows the complexity of our minds can intervene with the desires of our hearts.

We allow our selfish aspirations to fill our minds and eventually overflow into what we believe is our heart's true desire.

We allow our doubts and our pride to corrupt our mind and convince ourselves we have it all under control, that the plan we have laid out for our own life is better than the plan He has.

We allow worry to form a barrier between our heart and mind.

We allow ourselves to doubt the gift He put inside of us that allows us to have a relationship with Him.

We often overlook the power of our hearts.

"When you don't understand, when you can't see His plan, when you can't trace His hand, trust his heart."