Matters of the heart

I have heard it said many times to let your heart lead you, or to follow your heart . . .however, I have seen and experienced so much heartbreak when I (or someone else) chose to let their emotions guide them.  If we gauged our life on our emotions, what a tragic journey it would be.  I have to admit I don't remember many key lines from movies, but there is one that stands out to me.  It's from "Fireproof" in the context of relationships and marriage.  Here, it is said to not follow your heart, but instead, LEAD your heart. . . Do we fully comprehend how powerful our choice can be?

It's been a few weeks of intensive learning on this matter.  As circumstances have come up, we've had to choose carefully how we were going to respond instead of letting our emotions carry us.  This hasn't been easy.  Our natural bent is to let our emotions dictate how how our day will go and influence our decisions. How many times have my emotions gotten the best of me and I spent days trying to repair the damage caused by out-of-control emotions?

If our emotions can be used to hinder us, how can they be used in a positive light?  It comes back to our choice and recognizing what the Holy Spirit can do for us and embracing it fully.  We need to CHOOSE to let God in.

 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (Galatians 5:22 NLT)

When I apply this principle to my life right now, I will choose to count my blessings and recognize what I have, not what I lack.  When thankfulness rises up, I recognize that my circumstances (no matter what) don't have the power to dictate where my joy comes from; my stress level decreases and I find myself laughing more and worrying less.  The weight and burden of what I am facing shifts from my shoulders to God's . . .all through choosing instead of running with feelings.

It's 64 days until we fly.  Kim's knee is healing, but it is slow.  The jobs are daily being added.  I do feel overwhelmed, but I am choosing to not let that dictate my day to day living.  One step at a time, I can check off what is done, prioritize what remains, and, at the end of the day, leave the pressures and worries and choose to trust God for the rest I need.  It comes back to what I choose!