It is true life is not all about us and our strength finds its deepest purpose in service of an agenda beyond ourselves.
Unfortunately, in offering our strength time and again to others, many men neglect the care of their own hearts.
As long as we are caring for others, we often live under the assumption that our hearts are disposable.
When we are struggling, we believe we must simply buckle down and try harder because the show must go on. We are diligent to provide others a gourmet meal of our strength, while we desperately try to survive by feeding our own hearts junk food.
This is not sustainable. Eventually, we will burn out.
When we don’t care for our own hearts, it is easier for resentment and bitterness to take root. We might soon find ourselves blowing up at or checking out from the relationships we are intended to serve.
If you find yourself increasingly frustrated with those you want to love and serve, this may be an indication your heart has not been cared for well.
Caring well for our hearts starts with rejecting any assumptions that our hearts are disposable.
Our hearts matter just as much as the heart’s of others.
Love requires sacrifice, but not the neglect of our hearts. God does not intend for others to live off our strength while we scrape by depleted and famished.
We must learn to fill up and give to others from our abundance – embracing the wisdom of the reservoir and not the canal.
Rather than trying to give from an empty heart, let us pour out our strength for others from a full and overflowing heart.
How will you fill up? Before you rush back into serving others, how will you care for your own heart?
By all means, freely offer your strength to others. And remember your heart matters, too.
