What Does My Heart Say? by Alan Anderson

 

“Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)

 
“So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” John 16:22 (ESV)

Our Writing Prompt

Our writing prompt for this month reminds me, “The Bible speaks of the heart as the core of one’s being, composed of our mind, emotion, and will. How do you keep or guard your heart? What is it saying to you these days?”

I pondered this question for a few days before I put words on the page. Once I began to write, I found my thoughts kept going in a certain way. The words that came to life in my mind are thoughts perhaps readers will also ponder.

You might have noticed the world is loud these days. Everyone has an opinion. More than this, those who have an opinion seem to have the need for everyone else to hear their opinion. So much noise, so much talking over each other…and they all think they speak the truth.

What Does My Heart Say?

Did I pray well?

In giving thought to this post for February, a few sobering questions came to mind. I would like to share these questions with you.

Dear friends, has your soul ever wept for the world around you? Has the weight of sorrow crushed your heart? There might be times where one’s sorrowful heart has cried out to heaven. Our cry is so deep that it seems God has turned His beautiful face away. Oh my, how we must guard our hearts from such despair.

As I observe the various upheavals going on today, I wonder if anyone knows the way forward. We need prayer. This writer and all who read this message all need prayer to guard our hearts.

We must pray for each other.

We must pray for the world.

In all the noise, confusion, and unguarded heart moments so pervasive today, my tendency is to retreat, to be quiet, to not state my opinion. Believe me, I have my faults, but I also must guard my heart as God’s Word dictates.

As a writer who is also a Christian living in this time of everyone does right in his or her own eyes, I must pause. Pause and listen to what my heart asks of me…did I pray well for the words I send into the world? This is a question I would like to hear the Lord answer some day. Did the tears and hope of my humble words make a difference to anyone amid the noise?

What Does My Heart Say?

My heart says to send words into the world as agents of peace. This simple statement begs a question from me as one called to write.

Did I serve well?

Dear friends, as writers who are Christians, we can offer peace to the world. A peace that passes all understanding, even our own. We must take this in a serious manner. This is how we can serve our call from the Lord to write well. We offer words of peace, love, and harmony, to soften the hearts of people amid calamitous thundering voices.

A Concluding Word

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!” Psalm 139:23 (ESV)

This is what my heart says: Did I pray well? Did I serve well?

 

Alan lives in a small village called Deroche, British Columbia, with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He enjoys walking on the dike near his home with trees all around and where he finds inspiration to write. He occasionally writes articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan is the new BC/Northern Regional Rep for InScribe. His website is https://scarredjoy.ca

Take Out the Trash by Carol Harrison

 

 

Taking out the trash is a never-ending type of job. If I leave it for too many days, it starts to permeate the air with a less than pleasant aroma. I can’t take it out once and say, “There that’s all done for good.”

But what about the trash in my life and in my heart? I often struggle with negative thoughts pushing their way in and cloaking my heart with a dark covering. It blocks creativity and colours the world around me with pessimism. Yet in Proverbs 4:23(ESV) I read, “Keep your heart with all vigilance for from it flows the springs of life.”

I decided to look more closely at the words like keep and vigilance in this verse. Some translations use the word guard your heart and keep alert. I added those in to the study as well. This allows me more clarity about the meaning and how to accomplish God’s directive.

Merriam Webster defines guard as, “Protect from danger especially by watchful attention. In Biblereference.com it talks about keep, used in place of guard, not in terms of maintaining ownership but referring to maintenance, care, and support.

Vigilance is keeping watch for possible dangers or difficulties and being alertly watchful. So how can I be alert, watchful, and guard my heart and why should I?

In Luke 6:45 Jesus is teaching and says, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” I believe this is also true of the words we write. They also come from those well springs of life in the heart, that center of my thoughts, emotions, and will. Temptation is real, pulling us away from what is best for our hearts. God knows all about my willful self and waits for me to come to Him for help in guarding against the negativity and lies of the enemy.

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” Renewing my mind can only be truly accomplished with God’s wonderful and gracious help. For me it reminds me I need to take out the trash in my life and heart too. What am I watching, listening to, reading?

If I spend too much time on news stories it keeps me up to date with current affairs but it also plunges me into the darkness of depression. Too often it makes me forget that God is still in control and nothing is a surprise to Him. When the negativity takes over, the ideas for writing disappear and I want to escape into more mindless activities.

In Bible Study.com it states, “A God controlled thought life will

           - Govern your speech (Prov. 4: 24)

           - Guard your sight (vs 25)

           - Guide your steps (vs 27)

2 Corinthians 10: 5, “take every thought captive to obey Christ.” God can and does change our thoughts to good and positive when we allow Him to help us. So I need to seek God daily and take out the trash with His help by checking what I am watching, reading, and listening to. This allows me to hear God’s directions about words to say and write. In this way I can be alert and guard my heart.

 

Carol Harrison lives in Saskatoon, SK. She enjoys reading, sharing stories, and family time but realizes how easy it is to let herself be involved in many mindless activities which she needs to guard against.

Listen to the Lord by Susan Barclay

 

This month’s writing prompt talks about the heart “as the core of one’s being, composed of our mind, emotion, and will”, and asks us how we keep or guard our heart. How do we guard our mind? How do we guard our emotions? How do we guard our will?

The mind is a powerful force. Our thoughts direct our actions, so it is important to control our thoughts. While we may not be able to restrain an initial, impulsive thought reaction, we can decide that we aren’t going to continue down that path or dwell in a place of negativity, judgment, or anger. We can rein in our thoughts and redirect them. Scripture tells us to “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8).

Because I have someone in my life whose spirit is often critical, I am frequently reminded of how I don’t want to be. When I find myself responding to others with agitation and irritation (I am only human, after all!), I soon remember to examine my thoughts. Are they true? Are they honourable? Are they right, pure, lovely, admirable? If not, I need to change them. I must recall that my “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). [W]e are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). The enemy seeks to stir up conflict and division, but God desires us to have an attitude of forgiveness, peace and reconciliation. Recently my husband shared with me an Isabel Allum video (begin at 22:47) that speaks to this, if you would like to watch it.

Emotions are also powerful and action-oriented. We need to pay attention to emotions because they can represent our gut reaction or instincts and at times can save us a boatload of trouble. At other times they can mislead us and put us in danger. God has emotions and we are created in his image. Having emotions or being emotional is not “bad,” however unlike God, our expressions of emotions are not always perfect or holy. We have a sinful nature and live in a fallen world of volatility, subjectivity, and recklessness. I’ll confess that I haven’t striven too hard to guard my emotions, largely because I struggle to be in touch with them and feel that, if anything, they are tamped down already. I did find a couple of what I think are good introductory articles on the subject. Check out these in PsychologyToday and MyWell Being.

What else is powerful? Our will. Just like our mind and emotions, our will drives our actions. Merriam-Webster defines “will” (noun) as a desire or wish, such as a disposition, inclination, appetite, passion, choice or determination. I once heard it said (or read) that “the heart wants what it wants,” a quote I see attributed to Woody Allen but could have been said by anyone. This is an expression of the will: we want what we want, and we do whatever is necessary and in our own power to make it happen, even if it’s to our own or others’ detriment. So we must guard what we want and seek to align our will with God’s. He has good plans for us to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). We should “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). We should remember that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). Be careful what you wish for,” the saying goes, because things don’t always work out the way we expect. God’s will is much better than ours; trust in him and he will make our paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Rich Mullins is a favourite artist of mine and I leave you with this link to his song, Maker of Noses, for reflection. I hope you see the relevancy to our theme and enjoy Rich's writing as much as I do.

_________________________

c. Susan Barclay, 2025. For more about Susan and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com.

 

Guard the Vision in Your Heart by Sandi Somers

While living in Colombia, South America, my friend Bessie and I visited her former colleagues in Bogota. As we stepped into their high-rise apartment, it felt like a penthouse: elegant, classy, and affluent. Not something I expected from missionaries who normally lived in modest homes. After our hostess greeted us warmly, I noticed the dinner table was set with a linen cloth, silverware and bone China. During dinner, whenever our hostess wanted the maid’s service, she rang the tiny bell beside her plate. The maid, wearing a stereotypical black dress and white apron, appeared from behind the closed kitchen door. Though maids were common among missionaries, I was not used to such formality.

However, years later when I read my journal, I had only briefly mentioned these details: “Do they ever have culture and ‘class’!...a different society!”

But my journal included interesting details I had forgotten. Completely. Their son, John, an MBA student at Harvard University, was visiting his family for Christmas. Also visiting was his grandmother. My journal notes that John, “confided to his grandmother (but made sure I heard), that he liked ‘Southern belles, Jewish girls, and foreign girls’, which included me in the list.”

How could I have forgotten those people and those delicious details?

Shortly afterwards, I read an article that pointed to what I experienced: the Zeigarnik Effect, named after Bluma Zeigarnik, the Russian psychologist of a century ago. She studied how waitresses remembered complex orders but then forgot the details once the order was completed. This led to the principle: We forget completed tasks. We remember unfinished tasks because we need to mentally hang onto the details.

How can this concept relate to our month’s theme of guarding our hearts?

What has God put in your heart to write and you haven't finished? Are you discouraged? Can't think of how to write it? Do you keep putting it off?

I’ve put writing projects on hold for various reasons. Yet I keep mulling over ideas, jotting notes, writing thoughts in my journal.

These unfinished projects won’t let go.

I’m now consciously working on finishing a number of those undertakings, and I have some strategies if you are in the same situation.

~ ~ ~

Begin with prayer. Pray into the vision of what you know God has planted in you. Picture the book in your hands. Visualize that article published. Guard that vision in your heart.

Write a summary of what you want to say, and this will help focus your thoughts.

Reread your work after six months—or longer. Seeing it with fresh eyes will point out what you know is good, and perhaps how you can finish it.

Adapt Brenda Wood’s recommendations in last month’s blog post: write missing parts in your morning pages. Fill out scenes. Write a new transition. Reorganize your structure. Experiment with different introductions or applications. Then transcribe those drafts into the appropriate projects.

Take a morning or whole day for a self-guided retreat. Blocking this time gives you more headway than working little by little. You may need more time than just a day, but at least you'll have a good start at finishing.

If November is nearing, challenge yourself to complete what you started through participating in NaNoWriMo (for fiction) or Write Nonfiction in November.

You may need to let a project go. Accept that it just isn't workable. However, you can perform transplant surgery and add pieces to some other works in progress.

If you’re still “finishing challenged”, invite a coach, an editor, or a trusted confidant to share their perspectives. Taking a course might be a good way to go.

And finally, guard God’s words to you in your heart. He might say, “Be strong and finish the work”, or “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3). Or He might encourage you with a new direction: “For I am about to do something new…. Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness (Isaiah 43:18-19 NLT).

As we listen to the Spirit’s promptings, trust God, and step out in faith, He’ll help us bring to completion what we’ve started.

Image by Instagram

  

Aspirations on How to Guard My Heart by Lorrie Orr

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Proverbs 4:23

In this month’s prompt we are encouraged to think about the heart, the core of our being composed of our mind, emotion, and will. How do you keep or guard your heart? What is it saying to you these days?

Why should I guard my heart? My life today is the result of the choices in the past. My life tomorrow will be the result of the choices I make today. To guard my heart is to protect it and cherish it, for from my heart comes every thought, action, and feeling. Here are some aspirations for guarding my heart.

1. I guard my heart by recognizing that each day is a gift from the hand of my loving God. My days on earth are finite and their end unknown to all but God. When I come to consciousness in the morning, I say, in my head, “Good morning, Lord.” I recognize that he has allowed me to awaken, and I thank him.

2. I guard or protect my heart and mind from things that are not beneficial. I like to know what’s happening in the world. It helps me have empathy for others, and it provides knowledge for conversations. However, too much news, particularly now, can be overwhelming and lead to fear, anxiety, and even anger. Merely reading current headlines can make me tense up. As a result, I’ve signed out of several news feeds and am restricting my consumption. I feel better and sleep better.

3. I guard my heart by seeking God’s wisdom and surrendering to him. When he fills the core of my being, I can respond to life’s circumstances according to his design. I need his Spirit to help me live the life I want, a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control.

4. I guard my heart by knowing myself. Balancing solitude and companionship, soaking up beauty, learning new things, writing and creative pursuits, taking care of my home and my body are important to me. I respect those needs, weaving my relationship with God in every aspect of my life. I am learning that self-care is not selfish, but necessary. The busy years of child-raising and a teaching career are behind me and now I have more time for the pursuits that gladden my heart. However, even as a mother with three young children, I took small moments of time to read and sew and do the things that filled me. There is joy in knowing how God created me to be and in protecting my needs while being open to his guidance.

Do I always guard my heart in these ways? No, but I do know that guarding my heart is the way to wisdom and how I long for that. I am so thankful that the apostle James wrote, “if any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously without finding fault, and it will be given you.” I know that I when I fail, God is there with open arms and open hands, continuously giving me his gifts.

Lorrie writes from Vancouver Island where there is much "scope for the

imagination" as Anne Shirley says. She loves spending time with

her husband, three children plus three, and her five grandchildren.