Preparing Our Hearts

Status Update

Let’s be honest. Most of us seldom, if ever examine the status of our hearts. We just do life day in and day out taking whatever comes our way and never actually sitting back and asking what is going on in these hearts of ours; and that can be a real problem.

Every year we take our cars to get an inspection. Now, I will be first to tell you that I dread inspections. Why? Because who knows what I am going to have to fix. But it has to be done. Why? Because let’s be honest, most people would never replace their tie rods until the snapped in half unless once a year someone intentionally took a look at them and told them they needed to be replaced.

If you do not address the wearing out parts, if you ignore that they are going bad and under too much stress or brokenness- the results can be catastrophic- if your tie rod fails it can break off and you will lose the ability to steer and run the risk of wrecking your car and harming yourself and all those in the car with you.

Aren’t our hearts more important that our cars?

In fact, I would propose to you today that as someone who works with people in crisis; from someone who helps people walk through hard seasons of life, that a majority of the spiritual and emotional conflict and crisis that we go through in our lives could be minimized, if not avoided completely, if we did routine care for our hearts and souls.

Open Your Heart- really

The first step in preparing our hearts is not really just the most important; it can easily be the most awkward too. Open your hear….really.

Psalm 139:23–24“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

In order to experience transformation in our hearts we must be willing to let God in. But being vulnerable is hard- really hard.

Some of us need to take a deep breath and let God in… all the way in.

Have you ever had someone stop by your house and you really don’t want them to come in? So you meet them on the porch, or you stand in the door way; or if it’s really cold or raining our maybe you let them inside, but you do not let them off the door mat; and you certainly do not offer to take their coat or offer them a drink because you really were not prepared to have them hang around.

Well, in reality that is how a lot of Christians treat Jesus in their hearts. Let him in enough to save them, but not enough to change them.

Some of us need to get real about what’s happening in these hearts of ours.

yourAnd can I remind you, that God knows everything that is happening in that heart of yours, so you might as well be honest.

Jeremiah 20:12 ESV

O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous, who sees the heart and the mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you have I committed my cause.

There is nothing in that heart of yours that God does not know about; there is no use hiding it. If you’re mad you might as well tell him, because he knows all that is in your heart. If you are depressed, you might as well be honest about it, because there is nothing in your heart he does not know about. Sometimes we need to get brutally honest with God about whats going on in our hearts, and the thing is he already knows.

Ask some hard questions

This week the Holy Spirit opened a verse up in a brand new way for me; and I want to share it with you.

Matthew 11:28–30 (ESV)

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

God asks us to take his yoke and learn from him- not just to keep going, but to allow him to teach us, to learn how he wants us to live and what he wants for us; and how do we learn? We ask questions.

So this week I started asking God some hard questions. For example, there was something that happened in my life a few months ago that really hurt me; and for months I have been talking to God about it. I have been telling him about how much it hurt me and everyday I have been reliving it.

But this week I asked a hard question- God, why did that hurt me so much? And all week God has been teaching me a little something new about me. He is teaching me things about myself, my fears, my hopes, my inadequency that he wants to change in me.

Instead of tell God how much a situation is making me angry or anxious; I ask him “what are you trying to show me or teach me, God?” Or “Why is this so important to me, God?”

Our relationship with God changes when we stop telling God everything and starting asking God everything. When we see God as the teacher and seeing ourselves as the apprentice.

Make a List- and check it twice.

Our house runs on lists. In fact, Jess might have a list of all the lists- I’m not sure. But here is what I love about lists, the put legs and movement on the conversations.

The Holiday season is a great time for lists. Lists of who is bringing what to family dinner, lists of what we need to buy to make those dishes, lists of what you want for Christmas, or the master list of what you got everyone else!

So, let me ask, what would your list for preparing for Jesus in your heart look like?

Let’s think about that Psalm 139 passage we read a bit ago. You ask God to search that heart of yours; you begin to ask God to teach you.