On our own our hearts can certainly lead us astray. But this doesn’t make our hearts irredeemable or hopelessly corrupt. While sin mars our original glory, the blood of Christ cleanses us and allows the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts. Our hearts have been redeemed and can once again serve as a wellspring of life.
Of course, this does not mean every thought or feeling we have is justified, right, or good. Many times our thoughts remain shortsighted and selfish, and we can get so caught up in our feelings that we lose our ability to see clearly.
But we don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater by conflating our passing thoughts and feelings with the deeper essence of our heart. Trusting our heart is not the same as trusting our feelings.
When our hearts are redeemed we can trust the good our faith is prompting us to do. And there’s no reason to assume all our desires are bad.
For instance, we don’t have to doubt and hold back on our desires to start a business, write a book, pursue a relationship, move across the country, or the like. To be sure, we still need to take wisdom with us and faithfully discern if the Spirit is leading us into such endeavors. But we can trust the good that flows from our hearts.
Without a doubt, pride is in play when we don’t submit the desires of our heart to God. But it’s a type of false humility when we assume there’s nothing good in our hearts after Christ has redeemed us.
We’re called to bring more life and goodness into the world and this requires our whole and redeemed hearts. And we’re merely a shell of a man without it.
In the end, every thought and feeling we have cannot be trusted. But a redeemed heart fully submitted to God can be a faithful guide throughout our life and relationships.
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash
