Guard Your HeartUzorak

MEDITATE ON GOD'S WORD

As a human being, you think, feel, and react to the many experiences you live through. You can have good thoughts and positive emotions when everything is in your favor, but when the uncertainties of life come with great pressure, choosing healthy thoughts and managing your emotions can be a big challenge.

Everything you see or hear and give attention to, you end up holding in your heart, and this will influence your life. In the Bible, the word "heart" appears dozens of times and has the meaning "that which is central." Figuratively it refers to the moral nature, the spiritual life, and the source of emotions, desires, and wills. Thus, we can say that the heart is the interior of the human being.

Solomon, the wisest man, said: "Above all things, guard your heart, for it directs the course of your life" (Proverbs 4:23). In this case "guard" has the meaning of protecting and preserving in a healthy way your interior, because what happens in it is what will direct your life.

There will always be unexpected situations that will try to destabilize your emotions, your thoughts, and your faith. And just as it is vital that you consume nutritious food daily for the proper functioning of your body, it is essential that you strengthen your heart with what gives you peace, joy, and hope.

Neuroscience has shown that mental processes trigger emotions and beliefs. The mind processes thousands of thoughts a day, and between one task or another, you think about some of them more emphatically without realizing it. The point is that if you cling to thoughts that neither produce good emotions nor strengthen your faith, you leave your heart vulnerable to worry, anxiety, and hopelessness.

And long before neuroscience, God—your Creator—revealed that meditating on his Word is the best way to have balance in your mind and emotions so that you can succeed in life. Meditation is thinking with focus and concentration on a subject or thought. Therefore, it is essential that you choose what to meditate on. If you meditate on problems, your heart will be filled with afflictions. On the other hand, if you meditate on the Word of God, your heart will be filled with wisdom from above to strengthen you.