Sometimes I find myself in a precariously awkward social situation.
My wife and I will attend a social event, usually she is already friends with the other wives there, and so that leaves the husbands to awkwardly cluster together into a group and become friends by “association”. If you’re a dude, then you are fully aware of this moment. Time goes by and we connect on some level – sports, kids, wives, little league…etc. The conversation has glimmers of hope and it’s obvious that we have connected at some level and the social function is going well. Then it happens… the conversation turns to everyone’s job.
One guy is in sales, another is a doctor, and another is in construction – then I hear it “Hey, Chris, what do you do for a living?”
I smile, because I know immediately what is about to happen.“I’m a pastor” I reply (imagine crickets chirping or a record scratching at this point).
It becomes awkwardly quiet, and then I hear “Oh, well…um, I’m a good person”(they usually lower their voices at this point as well) “I haven’t been to church in a while, but I have a good moral compass” “My wife and kids are church people, but I find that if I follow my heart it guides me” The awkward phrases continue, but you get the general idea, so I try to steer the conversation back to sports.
Following your heart sounds like a great idea, doesn’t it? You hear it in the movies, read it in books, listen to speakers say it – and it just feels good to say. It doesn’t offend anyone, it doesn’t step on anyone’s toes, and quite honestly there is zero accountability with it. It’s the “perfect” phrase (lets put it on a coffee mug!).
But here is a question I have for you, if you are following your heart then what is your heart following? This question should rattle your mind a bit, because if I pressed, my hunch is the answer would be “nothing” or “nothing of significance”. You are a smart person, so you know it’s not culture, media, and certainly not your friends – then what is it?
Understand this: A heart that follows nothing will lead you down a path that’s headed nowhere. Think about it.
So, one more time, what is your heart following?
In light of this question let me recommend you read Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT 2ndEd.)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.
Your heart determines the course of your life, and if you’re “following your heart” and your heart is following nothing, then you will quickly find yourself down a path that you certainly don’t want to go.
If you are following you’re heart, then what is your heart following?
I hope this question rattles around in your mind this week, and years from now I hope you find yourself down the right path that you should take.