Guard Your Heart

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellsprings of life." Proverbs 4:23

There have been so many times that I have needed to hear this truth. Sometimes I have to repeat it to myself...

Guard your heart, Heather. Guard your heart.

I think of a cave, with the most exquisite treasure inside...compassion, loyalty, love. Our hearts are the very dwelling places of the Lord. They are His home. 

I think of all the good things that come out of a home...wonderful smells of home-cooked meals, story times and lullabys, comfort and encouragement, correction and discipline. 

I don't think that I should let my heart run wild, or rather I should let it be free to love as God would love but guard it with scripture and truth. 

Guard your heart, Heather. Guard your heart. 

I think about a life on the mission field and I think about life anywhere else, and I remember what Jack Dyer said to me once..."Heather, if you can do anything else besides being a missionary, then do it." He was implying that if you are called to be a missionary then you will be completely and utterly miserable doing anything else. 

Sometimes I remind myself of that conversation. I remind myself of what it felt like when I found out I was coming to Honduras...of how my spirit lept inside of me and I couldn't contain the joy, it just bubbled out of me. 

I also think of the life that awaits me when I return to Louisiana in September. I think of my family and friends. I think of my church. I wonder what I would be doing if I wasn't here in Honduras. I wonder what life will look like in the future... marriage... kids... jobs... missions? 

I know that God has carried me here on His wings and I wouldn't trade that for anything. If I would let myself, I could plan out the next 5 years of my life very easily. But the problem with that is...that it is my plan and not God's. 

So I will guard my heart...even against myself. I will sink into Him and let Him guide my course as He always does. Above all, trusting that His ways are higher than mine and that maybe He will bring me back to this beautiful place one day.