the heart

One of the weird things about life is that we must sometimes view it simultaneously from different perspectives. For instance, as Christians we should all want to be faithful and humble and loving. At some level, we want to be known for these and similar traits, and we want to honestly believe that our character is so shaped. In other words, I want you to say/think that I am faithful, humble, and loving, and I hope to actually be these things.

At another level, however, we are all prone to wander. After all, Scripture teaches us, does it not, that “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” (Jeremiah 17:9). In other words we are all quite capable of foolish and rebellious attitudes and actions. Indeed, so perverse can the human heart be that Jeremiah asks, “Who can understand it?” The implied answer is no one, that is, none of us can know every nuance of our own motives and intentions. We can, quite frankly, deceive ourselves into thinking we are okay when we are the opposite of okay.

Here, then, is the situation in which we find ourselves. In one sense, it is important for us to know who and what we are, to portray ourselves, as best we can, in authentic ways, and to live our lives with some measure of self-comprehension and confidence. It’s good, in other words, to know a little bit about our own tendencies and motivations, what makes us tick. To the degree that we know something about our own hearts and lives, we will be able to guard ourselves from that which might damage or destroy us. Indeed, to know that our hearts are deceitful is, in some sense, a piece of this self-knowledge.

In another sense, however, in the sense that Jeremiah intends, we are never in a place where we can rest on our own achievements or be cocky in the way we approach life. In another passage of Scripture, these humbling words are found: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). One of the surest ways to delude ourselves is to assume that we are invincible, taking for granted that we are “above reproach” or some such thing. If we think we are safe and unbeatable, if we rest on past accomplishments, we have already taken the first step to defeat.

You see, the key to avoiding self-deception is an awareness that we can indeed be deceived. The way to protect ourselves from faithlessness and other transgressions is by remaining cognizant that we are capable of such foolishness.

The path to take, in other words, is one of humility. While we can know some (limited) things about ourselves, and though we ought to do our best to give expression to important spiritual qualities, we are never in a place where we can, how shall I say it, live independently of God.

God has made us in such a way that we operate efficiently only when we do our operating within the sphere of our connection with him. This does not mean, of course, that we are always aware of this connection or that we walk around in some trance-like state, repeating words that we hope will protect us from ourselves. Rather, it entails that we develop a mind-set in which we are consistently leaning on God, looking to him, asking for his assistance, trusting that he can protect us and shape us into faithful followers.

What we all require is a walk of faith, a sense of our dependence on our Savior. As we seek to guard our hearts and live productive lives, our spiritual soundness is bolstered not so much by self-confidence as by confidence in him. Humility is the avenue of growth and stability, trusting that–weak as we are by nature–he is able to keep us from falling and continue to make us into what he wants us to be. “Lord, protect me (us), and continue to renew and strengthen me (us) so that I (we) can be all that you intend me (us) to be.”