Thoughts...

I am currently reading a book called, "The Sacred Romance" by Brent Curtis & John Eldredge. I've only gotten into the 3rd chapter so far, but I am really enjoying it. Something that caught my attention as I was reading is this:

"In the end, it doesn't matter how well we have performed or what we have accomplished-- a life without heart is not worth living. For out of this wellspring of our soul flows all true caring and all meaningful work, all real worship and all sacrifice. Our faith, hope, and love issue from this fount, as well. Because it is in our heart that we first hear the voice of God and it is in the heart that we come to know him and learn to live in his love. "

"Starting very early, life has taught all of us to ignore and distrust the deepest yearnings of our heart. Life, for the most part, teaches us to suppress our longing and live only in the external world where efficiency and performance are everything. We have learned from parents and peers, at school, at work, and even from our spiritual mentors that something else is wanted from us other than our heart, which is to say, that which is most deeply us. Very seldom are we ever invited to live out our heart. If we are wanted, we are often wanted for what we can offer functionally. If rich, we are honored for our wealth. If beautiful, for our looks, if intelligent, for our brains. So we learn to offer only those parts of us that are approved, living out a carefully crafted performance to gain acceptance from those who represent life to us. We divorce ourselves from our heart and begin to live a double life."

"The heart does not respond to principles and programs; it seeks not efficiency, but passion. Art, poetry, beauty, mystery, ecstasy: These are what rouse the heart. Indeed they are a language that must be spoken if one wishes to communicate with the heart. It is why Jesus so often taught and related to people by telling stories and asking questions. His desire was not just to engage their intellects but to capture their hearts."

"God tells us in Proverbs 4:23, 'Above all else, guard your heart. For it is the wellspring of life.'

-Sadly, most of us watch the oil level in our cars more carefully than we watch over the life of our heart."

Some of my thoughts right now:

We have become so immune and somewhat numb to hurts and heartbreak, that we separate ourselves from our hearts, putting on a tough exterior and acting like we don't need anyone's help in life. If we work hard enough, make enough money, suppress our feelings, or convince ourselves we are just fine living in solitude, than we will have lived an impressive life. We have become so independent and self-minded that we begin to keep people & God at arm's length because we have somehow separated ourselves from the wellspring of life that is called our heart.

It is okay to hurt sometimes and express our feelings. It is okay to ask questions or ask for help. It is okay that we don't have the answers to all of life's questions. If I am living through my heart, that is when I am truly living for a purpose that God created... I don't want to float through life just existing in my earthly things.

So I ask myself this: Am I hiding the real me behind my bank account, my busyness, my hurts, my status, my religion? Or Am I living through love and cultivating a relationship with Jesus Christ, who gives me a real and true purpose in this life? Surely there has to be more to this life than the American Dream...

I'm going to let this stir in my heart this week.

Thoughts?